122 LEGUMINOUS CROPS 



Cutting Stage. Clover should be cut for hay when it is 

 in full bloom, and some of the early blossoms are turning 

 brown. It should not be cut for seed until nearly all the 

 heads are turned brown. If the second cutting is to be 

 used for seed, it is well to take the first cutting of hay when 

 only a few plants have come fully into blossom. For seed, 

 the second cutting is preferable, as all the plants come into 

 blossom uniformly, and bees and other insects that aid in 

 pollination are more abundant at that time. 



Cutting and Curing the Hay. Clover should be cut 

 when free from dew and rain, and left in the swath for a day 

 to wilt. It may then be stirred with the tedder and after 

 a few hours drying, raked into windrows, and put into 

 medium-sized cocks. Every effort should be made to cure 

 the hay without losing the leaves, which cannot be done if 

 the clover is allowed to dry too long in the hot sun. The 

 use of hay caps greatly facilitates curing. The evaporation 



Fig. 67. Curing clover. Note the size of the bunches. 



of moisture goes on rapidly while in the cock and if left 

 for two or three days, the hay will usually be well cured. 

 If all clover hay was carefully cured so that it would not 



