D. M. FERRY & CO'S DESCEIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



65 



seed soak about five or six days, after which pour off 

 the water and cover the vessel with a cloth. Keep in a 

 warm room and stir the seed occasionally. In about one 

 week more they will begin to sprout, and are ready for 

 planting. A pound of seed, if properly managed, will 

 produce five thousand plants. The seed should be sown 

 in April or May, with twelve good seeds to the foot, in drills 

 twenty inches apart. They should be kept free from 

 weeds, as the young plants are very tender and delicate 

 until they are from three to five inches high. They can 

 be set out in permanent hedges the following spring, in 

 rows, placing them six inches apart in the row, but 

 should be cut back to within an inch of the ground 

 before they are set out; and to make a thick hedge, it 

 will be necessary to cut back the first three years' 

 growth, leaving only about eight inches of the season s 

 growth. This system must be pursued every season 

 until the hedge is of the desired height and form. 

 Under proper treatment, a good hedge that will turn all 

 kinds of stock can be grown from seed in from three to 

 four vears. 



severe, cold, freezing weather. It grows about one foot 

 high; the roots are nearly black; leaves long; blossoms 

 long, pointed and of a very deep red, or carmine color. 

 Makes good hay. Sow in April or May, eight pounds 

 of seed per acre. 



CLOVER SEEDS, 



There are no plants so valuable for fertilizers as the 

 Clovers. They have the faculty of absorbing nitrogen 

 from the air, and also of rendering available much of 

 the inert plant food of the soil. Their long, powerful 

 tap roots penetrate to a great depth, loosen the soil, 

 admit air, and by their decay add immensely to the fer- 

 tility of the soil. The seed may be sown in fall or 

 spring; which is the best season will depend upon local 

 climate and method of culture, but in the majority of 

 cases, in the Eastern, Middle and Western States, the 

 best results will come from sowing in the spring, and it 

 is often sown on the late snows of April. In any case, 

 it should be evenly distributed on a mellow, well pre- 

 pared soil. Plaster will increase the growth remarkably, 

 and should be sown broadcast the season following the 

 seeding. 



Mammoth, or Large Red (Trifolium pratense). — 

 It grows five or six feet high, but its stalks are so coarse 

 and large that stock will eat only the leaves, but by its 

 judicious use. lands which have been exhausted can be 

 reclaimed, as it will grow where the common clover will 

 fail. Sow at the rate of about eight pounds per acre. 

 Sixty pounds per bushel. 



Medium Red, or June {Trifolium /ratense).— 

 This is by far the most important of all varieties for the 

 practical purposes of agriculture. Sow in spring or fall; 

 and when no other grasses are used, at the rate of eight 

 to ten pounds per acre, more being required on old, stiff 

 soils, than on new and lighter ones. Sixty pounds per 

 bushel. 



Alsike, or Swedish (Trifolium hybridum). — This 

 valuable variety is fast gaining great popularity. It is 

 the most hardy of all the clovers; perennial. On rich, 

 moist soils it yields an enormous quantity of hay or 

 pasture, and may be cut several times in a season, but 

 its greatest value is for sowing with other clovers and 

 grasses, as it forms a thick bottom, and greatly increases 

 the yield of hay, and cattle prefer it to any other forage. 

 The heads are globular, very sweet and fragrant, and 

 much liked by bees, which obtain a large amount of 

 honey from them. Sow in spring or fall, at the rate of 

 six pounds per acre, where used alone. Sixty pounds 

 per bushel. 



Crimson Trefoil, or Scarlet Italian {Trifolium 



inca.rna.tum~). — This is an annual variety, in common 

 use in Italy and the south of France for feeding green. 

 The yield in fodder is immense, and, after cutting, it at 

 once commences growing again, and continues until 



Crimson Trefoil. 



White Dutch {Trifolium repens). — A small creep- 

 ing, spreading, perennial variety, valuable for pasture 

 and for lawns. It accommodates itself to a variety of 

 soils, but prefers moist ground. In conjunction with 

 blue grass, it forms the most nutritious food for sheep 

 or cows. Sow in spring, at the rate of six pounds per 

 acre; or when used with other grasses, half that amount 

 will be sufficient. 



Lucerne, or Alfalfa (Ifedicago sativa). — Where 

 this succeeds, it is the most valuable of all the clovers. 

 It is more difficult to secure a good stand, as it requires a 

 very fine, mellow soil, and some protection the first year, 

 but when once established, it will produce a profitable 

 crop for from five to twelve years. It yields a prodig- 

 ious amount of green fodder for cattle, and should be 

 cut when first commencing to bloom, when it pushes out 

 fresh shoots, and the aftergrowth is something wonder- 

 ful. In the driest and most sultry weather, when every 

 blade of grass withers, Lucerne is as fresh and green as 

 in spring, because the roots go down to the moisture in 

 the ground. Although such a prodigious yielder, it does 

 not exhaust the soil, but rather improves it. It should 

 not be sown on compact, clay soils, even with a light 

 subsoil. 



One of our customers writes us from Utah as follows. 

 " I have had years of experience, both here and in Cali- 

 fornia. We always sow broadcast, twenty-five pounds 

 per acre; the thicker it is sown the finer your hay will 

 be. If it is planted thin, it stools out, and the stalks are 

 thick, and not relished by stock. It requires no hoeing 

 whatever when sown as above. We cut four crops a 

 year, and its yield is enormous. The fall is the best 

 time for sowing here, as it will stand the winter and do 

 much better the following season than when sown in 

 the spring. The above is my experience for fifteen 

 years." 



In some sections it is sown in the spring, in drills, 

 twelve inches apart, and hoed until it covers the surface. 

 This process requires about eight pounds of seed pet 

 acre. 



Bokhara (Melilotus alba) Sweet Clover — This 

 exceedingly valuable as pasturage for bees It is occa- 

 sionally found growing wild by the roadside in company 

 with the more common sweet clover (.Uelilotu* officin- 

 alis), and may be distinguished from it by its white 

 flowers and less coarse and more leafy stems. 



