60 CLOVERS 



feeding it when improperly harvested, when over- 

 ripe, when damaged by rain, or by overcuring in the 

 sun, or when it may have been stored so green as 

 to induce molding. It may also be fed with much 

 advantage to brood sows and other swine in winter. 



As a soil improver, -medium red clover is prob- 

 ably without a rival, unless it be in mammoth clover, 

 and in one respect it exceeds the mammoth variety ; 

 that is, in the more prolonged season, during 

 which it may be plowed under as a green manure. 

 Its quick growth peculiarly adap's it to soil enrich- 

 ment. For this reason, it is more sown than any of 

 the other varieties in the spring of the year, along 

 with the small cereal grains to be plowed under in 

 the late autumn or in the following spring, after the 

 clover has made a vigorous start, since it produces 

 two crops in one season, the first crop may be har- 

 vested and the second plowed under after having 

 made a full growth. This can be said of no other 

 variety of clover. More enrichment is also obtained 

 from the falling of the leaves when two crops are 

 grown than from the other varieties. 



The influence of this plant on weed destruction 

 when grown for hay is greater than with the other 

 varieties of clover. This is owing in part to the 

 shade resulting from its rapid growth and in part 

 to the two cuttings which are usually made of the 

 crop. These two cuttings prevent the maturing of 

 the seeds in nearly all annual weeds, and to a very 

 great extent in all classes of biennials. The power 

 of this crop to smother out perennials is also con- 

 siderable, and when this is linked with the weakening 



