20 CLOVERS 



Hand machines are of various kinds. Those most 

 in favor for ordinary sowing consist of a seeder 

 wheeled over the ground on a frame resemWing that 

 of a wheelbarrow. It sows about 12 feet in width 

 at each cast of the seed. It enables the sower to sow 

 the seed while considerable wind is blowing and to 

 sow it quite evenly, but it is not adapted to the sow- 

 ing of all kinds of grass and clover mixtures, which 

 it may be desirable to sow together, since they do 

 not always feed out evenly, owing to a difference in 

 size, in weight, in shape and in the character of the 

 covering. 



When clover seed is sown with the grain drill, 

 it is sometimes sown separately from grain; that 

 is, without a nurse crop, and is deposited in the soil 

 by the same tubes. But it is only some makes of 

 drills that will do this. Clover seed, and especially 

 alfalfa, may be thus sown with much advantage on 

 certain of the Western and Southern soils, especially 

 on those that are light and open in character, and 

 when the seed is to be put in without a nurse crop. 

 Eastern soils are usually too heavy to admit of de-- 

 positing the seed thus deeply, but to this there are 

 some exceptions. 



When sown with a nurse crop, the seed is in some 

 instances mixed with the grain before it is sown. 

 In some instances it is mixed before it is brought to 

 the field. At other times it is added when the grain 

 has been put in the seed-box of the drill. This 

 method of sowing is adapted to certain soils of 

 the Western prairies and to very open soils in 

 some other localities, but under average conditions 



