94 FORAGE CROPS 
tions warrant, is the complex question of adapta- 
tion of soil, and its preparation, for different 
kinds of hay crops; for while many of the grasses 
and legumes may be grown successfully on a 
wide variety of soils, they are peculiarly adapted 
to certain specific conditions. Red clover, for 
example, will grow well on lands adapted to 
corn. Alsike clover will succeed on those that 
are colder and more compact and not so suitable 
for the red clover. Timothy is adapted to lands 
rich in humus, and to those which, because of 
their higher content of clay, are colder than those 
most suitable for clover. Therefore, mixtures of 
timothy, red clover and alsike are much safer 
than either one alone, under general conditions, 
because if the conditions are unfavorable for one 
kind they may be favorable for another. 
In seeding any of these crops, the land should 
always be well prepared, which means not only 
that it shall be plowed and harrowed, but that 
it shall be worked frequently, so as to compact 
the soil and leave only the surface fine and mel- 
low—the finer and mellower the better, except 
for soils that contain a high content of fine silt, 
in which case it is better not to make the surface 
too fine, else the land is likely to puddle and to 
become so hard as to prevent full germination 
and to retard growth. Seeding should be care- 
fully performed. As a rule, too little seed is 
