214 CLOVERS 



field at the close of the grazing season. In crops 

 that are not grazed, it may be necessary to use the 

 scythe in clipping back weeds and in cutting off any 

 stray heads of timothy that may be pushing up 

 toward maturity. In some instances it may even be 

 found profitable to use the spud in destroying weeds 

 of more dwarfish growth than those which can be 

 clipped with the scythe. It is more important, rela- 

 tively, that weeds shall be thus dealt with in grow- 

 ing alsike clover than in growing clover of the 

 larger varieties, since, owing to the small size of the 

 seeds of alsike, it is more difficult to remove foul 

 seeds with the winnowing mill. No kind of seed, 

 probably, is more difficult to separate from alsike 

 seed than timothy ; hence, when the former is grown 

 for market, these plants should not be grown to- 

 gether. If, perchance, they should be so grown and 

 the crop cut for seed, it would be well not to try to 

 separate the seeds, but to sow them thus, as even 

 when thus mixed the seed has a considerable market 

 value. 



The crop is ready for being harvested when nearly 

 all the heads are fully matured. The bloom will then 

 have left them and they will be characterized by a 

 reddish cast. The earlier heads will have turned a 

 dark color, almost black. Some bloom may yet 

 linger on the later and smaller heads, but harvesting 

 should not be delayed until these mature. 



The seed crop can best be cut with the self-rake 

 reaper, which throws off the sheaves unbound. If 

 cut with the grain binder, the sheaves should not be 

 bound. A sort of box attachment may be fastened 



