204 CLOVERS 



stand is rendered much more certain in such in- 

 stances by first burning off the grass, sowing the 

 seed upon it, covering it more or less with the har- 

 row and running the mower over tlie ground, say, 

 twice in the season, to let in sunlight to the young 

 plants. The grass thus mown may be left as a 

 mulch. Pasturing, but not too early in the season, 

 will in some instances give results equally good. In 

 such situations the sowing should be done, and also 

 the harrowing, before the frost has left the ground, 

 except for a short distance from the surface, or the 

 horses may sink too deeply when doing the work. 

 The success is dependent in no small degree on the 

 denseness or want of denseness of the root growth 

 of the grass plants already covering the soil. The 

 more dense these are, the less easy is it to obtain a 

 stand, and the more peaty the soil immediately 

 underneath the surface, the greater is the danger 

 that the young plants will perish in a time of 

 drought. 



When alsike seed is sown on drained sloughs, the 

 aim should be to reduce the excess of coarse vege- 

 table matter, if present, and to secure a smooth 

 surface, such as will facilitate the easy mowing of 

 the crop. More especially should this be the aim 

 if the alsike is sown to produce hay. This can -be 

 most easily and speedily done by growing on it some 

 reducing crop, as flax or rape, and then smoo*'hing 

 the surface by implements best suited to such work, 

 as, for instance, some form of plow leveler. 



Sowing — The time at which alsike clover may 

 best be sown is the same as that for sowing the 



