442 Transactions of tee American Institutx. 



of sheep possessing in the same animals both excellent mutton and 

 wool qualities. 



Mr. S. E. Todd. — Such a cross would produce an excellent mut- 

 ton sheep, but would not improve the quality of Merino wool. 



Mr. N. C. Meeker. — I don't see what can be the use of such a 

 cross, when the Cotswold sheep are already considered about the 

 best mutton sheep there is. And as to the wool, some say it is 

 better than Merino fleeces. 



MANAGEMENT OF "VMIEAT FIELDS. 



Mr. J. p. Grattiug, Shortsville, N. Y., wrote that he has a field 

 of wheat of twenty-six acres of dark colored soil, which is quite 

 lumpy. Shall I, or not, roll the wheat in the spring? When is 

 the better time to sow clover seed on that field? 



Mr. S. Edwards Todd. — I will give a brief response to those 

 inquiries. I have never failed to raise a satisfactory crop of red 

 clover, whether the seed was sown in spring or autumn, in summer 

 or winter, provided the soil was all right. Red clover {trifolium 

 pratense) is a leguminous plant. When the seed germinates, it is 

 taken on the end of the stem, and thrust up out of the ground like 

 the gemiination and growth of a bean. When red clover seed is 

 sowed in autumn, the precaution must be taken to sow the seed so 

 early in the season that the young plant may get a firm hold in the 

 soil, otherwise the seed may as well be cast in the mill-pond. The 

 best crop of red clover that I ever saw was near Auburn, N. Y., 

 where the seed was sowed in early autumn. There are several 

 important circumstances to be taken into consideration when clover 

 seed is to be sowed. If the soil is very heavy, there is some dan- 

 ger that the seed may be buried too deep. If the weather should 

 be very wet in the spring, and then should be very dry — so dry 

 that a hard crust were formed on the surface of the ground — the 

 crop might be endangered by burying too deep. But, if the soil 

 be in an excellent state of fertility, there is little danger of sowing 

 too early. There is so much oil in clover seed that it will remain 

 all winter in the ground without injuring the germ of the kernels. 

 Where the soil is a light black loam, similar to the land alluded to 

 by the inquirer, the earlier the seed is put in the better it will be, 

 as the seed is more likely to be burned in the soil, when the frost 

 heaves the surface like a honeycomb. As to rolling rough ground 

 when wheat is groAving, it is better to defer that process till after 

 the cold weather has passed. I'll tell you why. The roller is apt 



