48 



D. M. Ferry & Cos Descriptive Catalogue 



without being sprouted, sometimes taking a whole sea- 

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

 and cover with warm {not hot) water. Keep the vessel 

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

 the seed soak about five (ir 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 (5,000) 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 ten- 

 der 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 apai't 

 m 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 years. 



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 v.-ill 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 

 I TrifoiiHin pratense). — 

 This is by far the most im- 

 portant of all the 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 be- 

 ing required on old, stiff 

 soils, than on new and 

 lighter ones. Sixty pounds 

 per bushel. 



Alsike, or Swedish 

 ( Trifoliuni hybridum). — 

 This valuable variety is 

 fast gaining great popu- 

 larity. It is the most 

 liardy 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 great- 

 est 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, who olitain 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. 



Alsike, or Swedish. 



Crimson Trefoil. 

 Crimson Trefoil, or Scarlet Italian 1 Trifoliunr 

 zncarnatmn). — 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 

 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. 



White Dutch. 



White Dutch ( Tyi/olium 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 {Medicago sativa). — Where this 

 succeeds it is the most valuable of all the clovers. It is 

 more difficult to establish the first year, requiring a fine, 

 mellow soil, but will tht-n produce a profitable crop from 



