CULTIVATION OF CLOVER. 341 



1. Red clover {trifolium pratense) is a well known bien- 

 nial, and sometimes, if not permitted to seed, a triennial plant. 

 It does not mature its seeds well in the first of the season, 

 and hence it must be fed until June, or else the seed must be 

 obtained from a second crop, which will ripen in August, or 

 the first of September. 



T'he soil best adapted to red clover is a deep sandy loam. 

 The long tap-roots will extend downward to a great depth ; 

 and hence deep dry soils, of almost any description, are well 

 suited to it, although it prefers one in which there is a large 

 quantity of lime. 



The quantity/ of seed depends upon the soil ; it is usually, 

 in this country, 10 lbs. to the acre; in Flanders, 6 lbs. ; and, 

 in Great Britain, 14. The greater the number of plants which 

 can be made to grow, the finer and better the quality of the 

 hay. 



The time of sowing clover seed is in the spring, either with 

 a grain crop, and before the last harrowing or bushing, or 

 upon winter grain, just as the snows are leaving, in March or 

 April. The sowing should be followed by a light harrow or 

 roller. The latter especially will be of essential service to 

 the grain crop. If the soil is wet, or a stiff clay, the seed 

 should be sown in mid-summer with buckwheat. The prac- 

 tice of sowing clover seeds in the autumn, should be discon- 

 tinued, as the plant rarely attains sufficient strength to sur- 

 vive the frosts of winter. 



During the growth of clover, the crop may be much in- 

 creased by sprinkling the surface of the young shoots, in the 

 spring, with plaster, one bushel to the acre ; and if the crop 

 is continued for several years, a top dressing of lime or ashes 

 will prove highly beneficial. 



The time of cutting clover, when intended for hay, is at a 



period when it is in full bloom. It is then much lighter, but 



the stalks are more tender, and will fatten stock much faster, 



than if permitted to remain until the seeds ripen. And fur- 



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