CLOVERS. 37D 



the land where it has been tried and failed clover- sick, 

 We know that various conditions contribute to this, such 

 as / 



Too often growing clover in the same field. 



An absence of lime in the soil. 



Want of proper care in preparing the land, and the like. 



These are conditions relating to the soil; but there are 

 other causes that are not sufficiently thought about, such as 



1. A pampered form of seed, resulting from high culti- 

 vation and a warm and humid climate, being suddenly put 

 in cold land in a cold district. 



2. The admixture of weed seeds in clovers, which take 

 possession of the soil, and so smother out the more deli- 

 cate plant. 



3. The weakened constitution of individual clover 

 plants, from being smothered up with the grain crops just 

 as its constitution should be strengthened ; and these 

 weakened plants having to withstand the rigours of an 

 uncertain winter, no wonder they sometimes die out after 

 a plant has appeared. 



" But if these attenuated clovers do get on and yield a 

 crop, we may expect that when it is seeded the seed is 

 that of a weakened plant. 



" Now, we maintain that clovers, grasses, or any plants, 

 to be permanent, must have their seeds grown in as na- 

 tural conditions as possible ; and so with regard to seeds 

 for artificial pasture, we maintain that we should not trust 

 to those grown from an exhausted plant of a vigorously 

 grown race, but should plant specially for seed ; and thus 

 our seed crop should be sown thinly broadcast in the land 

 by itself, and not put thickly in rows to ' pull each other 

 up.' Here, then, the seeding plants would become strong, 

 or, as the florist calls it, ' stocky ; ' and these are the speci- 

 mens to seed from. Now, however, if a patch of seeds be 

 more dirty than usual, it is left for seed, as the best thing 

 to do with it; and hence the dirt that smothers out the 

 clover, and too often gives rise to the notion that the land 

 is clover-sick. 



