io8 THE CLOVERS— WHITE. 



Alsike Clover seed is sometimes uncertain as regards 

 germination. The appearance of the seed is very little 

 guide towards enabling us to guess what faculty of ger- 

 mination resides in it. It may have a beautiful fresh 

 colour, yet be under-ripe ; or be of a dark glossy green, 

 and yet be over-ripe and hard. In both cases the ger- 

 minating power would be feeble. It follows from this 

 that retail seed-merchants should make a point of ascer- 

 taining the percentage of growth of samples of Alsike 

 submitted to them. 



[There is a species of clover, very similar to Alsike, 

 called Trifolium elegans, which, according to Dr. Stebler, 

 sometimes grows amongst Alsike, and has been known 

 to produce a peculiar disorder in horses that have eaten 

 of it. Whether it produces the same, or any, injurious 

 effect on horned cattle has not been as yet ascertained.] 



White OP Dutch Clover. 



{Trifolium repens.) 

 Weight per bushel, 65 lbs. 



Standard of germination, 95 per cent. 



Dr. Steblee gives it as his opinion that this species 

 is indispensable for low-lying pastures. Compared with 

 Eed Clover its produce is not so large, but it is richer 

 in nutritive matter. It will succeed in land of inferior 

 value ; it is not injured by grazing, and is less sensitive 

 to atmospheric influences. It is regarded as a valuable 

 bottom plant in pastures, but in certain soils it becomes 

 excessively luxuriant and smothers the other plants 

 with its creeping stems and thick foliage ; in such cases 



