DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE. 



by either plowing or spading, before the seed is planted. 

 The surest way is to sprout the seed before planting, as 

 it is verj- slow to germinate when put into the ground 

 without being sprouted, sometimes taking a whole sea- 

 son to come up. To sprout the seed, put into a" vessel 

 and covei with warm water, not hot. Keep the vessel 

 in a warm place, and change the water once a day. Let 

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

 the water and cover the vessel with a damp 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. There are about ten thousand (10,000) 

 seeds in a pound, and it is fair to presume one-half of 

 them will grow, or that a pound will produce five thou- 

 sand (5,000) plants if properly managed. The seed 

 should be sown in April or :\iay. with twelve good seeds 

 to the foot, in drills twenty inches apart. They should 

 be kept free from weeds, as the young plants are verj' 

 tender and delicate until they get 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 bp 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 years. 



CLOVER SEEDS. 



The soils best adapted to Clover are tenacious or stiff 

 loams. It is a fertilizer, as its long, powerful tap roots 

 loosen the soil, admit air, and when the roots decay, 

 add largely to the black mass of earth. It helps destroy 

 annual weeds by its luxuriant foliage, and by shading 

 the surface of the soil, increases its fertility. Clover 

 seed is sown in spring or fall, though there is a growing 

 sentiment that the spring is a better season to sow it, 

 especially in the Eastern, Western and Middle States, 

 on account of its liability to freeze out during winter. It 

 is often sown upon the late snows of March or April, 

 and soon finds its way down to the soil, where, aided by 

 the moisture of early spring, it quickly germinates, and 

 rapidly shoots up its leaf stalks. 



Mammoth, or Large Red Clover, Trifoliutn pra- 

 iense). — This variety is the best for plowing under for 

 manure. It grows five or 

 six feet high, and its stalks 

 are so coarse and large that 

 stock will eat only the 

 leaves. By its judicious 

 use, lands which have been 

 exhausted can be reclaimed, 

 and unexhausted lands pre- 

 ser\'ed. Green manuring 

 has rarely or never failed of 

 producing satisfactory re- 

 sults. Sow at the rate of 

 about eight pounds per 

 acre. Sixty pounds per 

 bushel. 



Medium Red, or June 



Clover, {TrifolUini pra- 



tense). — This is by far the 



most important of all the 



varieties for the practical 



purposes of agriculture. It 



Alsike Clover. is grown for hay ^. :_r oas- 



ture, and for milch cows it is better than timotliy, while 



it improves the lauds on which it grows. It has become 



an indispensable ingredient of all mixed grasses. Sow 

 in spring or fall ; and when no other grasses are used,af 

 the rate of eight to ten pounds per acre, more being re- 

 quired on old, stiff soils, than on new and lighter ones 

 Sixty pounds per bushel. 



Alsike, or Svvedish Clover, {Trifolium kybrida). 

 — This valuable variety is comparatively new, but u" 

 fast gaining great popularity. It is the most hardy of 

 all the varieties, perennial, and absolutely refuses to 

 winter kill ; is alike capable of resisting the extremes ok 

 drought and wet. The roots are fibrous, the heads glob- 

 ular, resembling more the white than the red clover, 

 with flesh-colored heads. It is ver>' sweet and fragrant, 

 being much liked by the Italian bees. On rich, moisr 

 land it yields an enormous quantity of hay or pastur- 

 age, and may be mowed several times in a season. It is 

 excellent for sowing on hill-sides or sloping lands that 

 are liable to wash and gully, as it has a great mass of 

 long, strong, fibrous roots which take firm, deep, and 

 wide-spread hold into the soil, and prevent washing ; 

 farmers can hardly raise a better hay or forage crop. 

 Sow in spring or fall, at the rate of six pounds per acre, 

 where used alone. Sixty pounds per busheL 



Crimson Trefoil Clover 



Crimson Trefoil, or Scarlet Italian Clover, {Tri- 

 /oliujH inca7-7tatuni). — This is an annual variety, in 

 common use in Italy and the south of France, for feed- 

 ing green. Indeed, it may be said the stock in those 

 countries is largely sustained during the summer months 

 by this and a few other sorts. The yield in fodder is 

 immense, and after cutting, it at once commences grow- 

 ing again, and continues till severe cold, freezing 



White Dutch Clover. 



