266 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



high. Some plants grow almost erect, while with others 

 some or all of the branches may be decumbent at the 

 base. 



255. The leaves are large and dark green in color, pos- 

 sessing prominent V-shaped white markings. They are 

 usually arranged in threes all of which grow out from the 

 end of the petiole. The leaves and stems are covered 

 with a fine hair or do\vn, which is more abundant when 

 the plants are young. At the end of each branch is carried 

 the flowering head, usually ovoid or spherical in shape, 

 from 1 to 2 inches in length and composed of from 75 to 

 200 small red or pink flowers, closely crowded together. 



256. The seeds vary greatly in size and are yellow and 

 purple in color. Red clover seed is not often adulterated, 

 although weed seeds are frequently found in it. The 

 standard of purity is 98 per cent and the germination 

 from 85 to 90 per cent. The legal weight per bushel is 

 60 pounds. Sometimes some of the seeds are so hard and 

 the seed coat is so impervious that when planted they 

 are not able to absorb the amount of moisture necessary 

 for germination. Such seeds are called " hard seeds," 

 and in newly harvested seed, in which they are the most 

 abundant, they may sometimes amount to as much as 

 40 or 50 per cent. The hard character is lost in time, and 

 when the seeds are sown a year or two later, almost all 

 of them will germinate. A germination test before sow- 

 ing may enable the grower to avoid a poor stand from this 

 trouble. 



257. Distribution. — Red clover is adapted to temper- 

 ate climates and is grown throughout the temperate regions 

 of Europe and parts of Asia. In the United States it may 

 be found in almost all parts of the country, but as an 

 important cultivated crop it is confined to the northeastern 



