253 [Assembly 



Affer twenty years of cultivation the soil constantly has in- 

 creased in weight although so much clover has gone oflf continu- 

 ally so that the farmer is always increasing his amount of soil by 

 ploughing in the clover. Still there is a higher value in old 

 wood soils, peats, &c., where these can be got cheaply enough, the 

 farmer should rely on them — when these are too far off he must 

 stick to his clover. Peas are very good for ploughing in — the 

 haulm is tubular so that when buried, they form so many pipes 

 for the circulation of the air and render the soil absorbent like a 

 sponge. In a crop the weight of it does not determine its value 

 for feed — for it is ascrtained that in the useful qualities for milk 

 and for firmer bone in the calf, some crops are worth twice as much 

 as others, and that is owing to free supply of phosphenic acid in 

 the first — and not in the second case. With it the English farm- 

 ers know that their Swedish turnips are double in value. 



The Professor has not furnished the Secretary with any notes, 

 and therefore the errors must be charged to the Secretary. 



Mr. Van Wyck. — The subject of clover as professor Mapes has 

 observed is an extensive subject; it embraces matters more or 

 less connected with the grains and grasses generally, there are 

 many varieties of the clover. The principal ones, most in use 

 here and in Europe are the Trifolium Pratense^ Trifolium repens 

 and Trifolium mediura. They are scientifically called trifolium^ 

 from their generally possessing but three leaves, that is ninety- 

 nine out of a hundred and perhaps more. The first which is the 

 common red clover, is the one we have most to do witli. This 

 may be said to be almost exclusively used through our whole 

 country, where the climate and soil will suit ; it grows most rap- 

 idly and luxuriantly, leaves the land in the best condition for 

 producing the grain. The feed it makes is the sweetest and most 

 nourishing for stock of every kind, it is said to be a biennial or 

 at most triennial, I have known ir to continue in good lands with 

 the best of husbandry considerably longer, the first two or three 

 years it is undoubtedly the thickest and most abundant on the 

 ground, after this it disappears gradually. In our country it is 

 generally sown with timothy, the latter in the fall, and the clover 

 in the spring, the timothy and i'es^ other native grasses of the 



