46 THE BOOK OF CORN 



weak seed will result in poor, small plants, no matter 

 how rich and fertile the soil. The rate of seeding also 

 varies with the soil. On poor soils the seeding should 

 be heavier than on rich, fertile soils. 



In seeding poor spots in the field or poor soils of 

 any kind, it is well to apply a good dressing of well- 

 rotted barnyard manure before preparing the seedbed. 

 It is a good plan to seed early in order to give the 

 clover plants all the time possible for growth before 

 the hot, dry weather begins. In this case the plants 

 will have matured sufficiently and be better able to 

 withstand the unfavorable weather. Clover does not 

 burn out so easily when the nurse crop is harvested. 



Other nurse crops such as wheat, barley and rye 

 are more favorable for clover seeding than oats. These 

 crops grow more thinly on the ground and are less 

 likely to lodge than oats. 



In harvesting the nurse crop, cut as high as pos- 

 sible. The stubble offers some protection to the young 

 clover plants until they become accustomed to the full 

 heat of the sun. If the nurse crop is cut close to the 

 ground, the sudden removal of the shade will often 

 result disastrously to the clover plants, especially if 

 the season be hot and dry. The earlier the nurse crop 

 can be cut the better, as it removes the protecting 

 shade before the sun attains full summer strength. 

 It has recently been found that by growing a crop of 

 rape in the oat crop, that the rape, growing very 

 rapidly after the oats are harvested, tends to protect 

 the clover plants. All fields so seeded, that have been 

 reported, are said to have grown a fine stand of clover. 

 Ordinarily the clover crop should not be cut the year 

 it is seeded, but may be cut the second season and the 

 second crop of that year plowed under. This perrriits 

 the greatest possible development of the root system 



