64 



M. FERRY & GO'S 



which it IS grown. It has become an indispensable in- 

 gredient of all mixed grasses. Sow in spring or fall ; 

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

 to eight pounds per acre, more being required on old, 

 stiff soils than on new and lighter ones. Sixty pounds 

 per bushel. 



Alsike, or Swedish Clover — Trifolium hybrida. 

 — This valuable variety is comparatively new, but is 

 fast gaining great popularity. It is the most hardy of 

 all the wa'ieties, perennial, and absolutely refuses to 

 winter-... a is alike capable of resisting the extremes of 

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

 ular, resembling more the white than the red clover, 

 with flesh-colored heads. It 

 is very sweet and fragrant, 

 being much liked by the 

 ItaUan bees. .It yields an 

 enormous quantity of hay 

 or pasturage, and may be 

 mowed several times in a 

 season, on good, rich land. 

 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 

 Alsike Clover. pounds per bushel. 



Crimson Trefoil, or Scarlet Italian Cl»ver — Tt-i- 

 yoliuvi incarnatum. — 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 

 weather. In warm climates, four or five cuttings are 

 made during the season. 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, ten pounds of 

 seed per(acre. 



White Dutch Clover — Trifoliztm repens. — A 

 small, creeping, spreading perennial variety, with white, 

 very fragrant blossoms. Its chief value is as a pasture 

 grass, for which purpose it is as valuable as the larger 



Lucerne Clover. 



White Dutch Clover. 



varieties for hay or soiling. It accommodates itself to 

 a variety of soils, but prefers moist ground. In con- 

 junction 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 Q,\ovQ.x—Medicago sativa. — 

 This is perhaps the most valuable variety for permeable 

 subsoils, consisting of loam, sand or gravel, as its roots 

 penetrate to a great depth, far below the average of 

 other plants. It is more difficult to establish the first 

 year, requiring a fine, mellow soil, but it will then pro- 

 duce a profitable crop from five to twelve years. It yields 

 a prodigious amount of green ~~ 



fodder for cattle, and should be 

 cut when first commencing to 

 bloom. It is no sooner cut than 

 it pushes out fresh shoots, and 

 the after-growth is something 

 wonderful. In the dryest 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. It may 

 be cut and used green, or cut 

 and used like ordinary clover 

 hay. Although such a prodigi- 

 ous 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. Three cuttings can easily be made in 

 one season, after it is well established. It grows two to 

 three feet high, and has purple blossoms. 



One of our customers writes us from Utah as follows : 

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

 ifornia. 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 \\hen sown as above. We cut four crops a 

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

 time for sowing here — about the first of September. 

 This gives it a good start, and 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. This process requires about eight 

 pounds of seed per acre, and it can be hoed as soon as 

 up, and after each cutting, it will completely cover the 

 ground. 



GRASS SEEDS. 



Timothy — Phieum pratense. — As a crop to cut for 

 hay, this is probably unsurpassed by any grass in culti- 

 vation. Thrives best on moist, loamy soils of medium 

 tenacity, and is not suited to light sandy or gravelly 

 soils. It should be cut just as the blossom falls. Sow 

 either in spring or fall, at the rate of twelve pounds 

 per acre, if alone, but less if mixed with other grasses. 

 Forty-five pounds per bushel. 



Orchard Grass, or Cock's Toot— Dacty lis Glom- 

 erata. — One of the most valuable of pasture grasses, on 

 account of its quick growth and valuable aftermath. It 

 is ready for grazing in spring two weeks sooner than 

 most grasses, and when fed off is again ready for grazing 

 in a week. It is palatable and nutritious, and stock eat 

 it greedily when green. It stands a severe drought, 

 keeping green when many grasses wither, and will en- 

 dure considerable shade. It is less exhausting to tlie 



