364 FIELD CROPS 



better for seed production at the time the second crop 

 matures. The second growth may also be pastured, or if 

 the land needs vegetable matter it may be plowed under to 

 benefit the crop which follows. Better returns will be 

 obtained, however, if this second crop is pastured or is cut 

 and fed on the farm and the manure returned to the land. 

 Clover alone ordinarily does not maintain a good stand after 

 the second year unless the second crop is allowed to produce 

 seed and this seed is harrowed in. When mixed with 

 timothy, good meadows may be maintained for three or four 

 years, particularly if a top dressing of manure is given, but 

 the hay crop during the later years will contain a large pro- 

 portion of timothy. 



461. Making Clover Hay. Directions have already been 

 given for hay making (Sec. 364-366). Somewhat more than 

 ordinary care is needed to make good hay from clover or the 

 other leguminous crops, for they cure less readily than the 

 grasses. The best clover hay is usually obtained by cutting 

 when a majority of the blossoms are a little past full bloom. 

 Since the leaves contain a large part of the food material in 

 the most palatable form, they are a very valuable part of the 

 hay. They are best retained by curing largely in the shade. 

 To accomplish this, the hay should be cut in the morning as 

 soon as the dew is off, kept loose with the tedder, and raked 

 and put into small cocks before the leaves are dry enough to 

 shatter. In this way most of the curing is done in the cock 

 where the leaves are protected from the sun; two or three 

 days are necessary in good weather for the clover to cure. 

 It is usually desirable to open the cocks to the sun and air 

 for a few hours before storing. The use of cock covers to 

 protect the hay from dew and rain is generally necessary 

 to obtain the best quality of hay. Clover should not be 



