12 



White and Alsike Clover Seed. [april, 



The farmer, if he is willing to pay a fair price, need have no 

 difficulty whatever in obtaining good seeds which are, compara- 

 tively speaking, pure and entirely free from noxious impurities, 

 and which are of high germinating capacity. Should he be alive 

 to his own interests he will not grudge time or money in attaining 

 this object, for the best only is good enough for sowing purposes. 

 By paying a fair price and using reasonable precautions he can 

 secure high germinating capacity, ranging perhaps from 94 per 

 cent, to 98 per cent. 



In the germinating test rapidity of growth is taken into con- 

 sideration, and in the case of white clover the growing energy of 

 the seed is noted on the third day, while the growing test is 

 finished on the tenth day. 



Trifolhim hybridum (Alsike clover) derives its common name 



Fig. 2. — Suckling Clover (sometimes used to adulterate white clover; 

 magnified seven diameters). 



from the fact that though indigenous to Southern Europe it was 

 first introduced into this country from the village of Alsike, in 

 Sweden, about seventy years ago. The specific name of hybri- 

 dum was given to it by Linnaeus, who regarded it as a cross 

 between red and white clover. 



The colour of the flower-head— the outer florets of which are 

 tipped with purple or pink— imparts to the plant the appear- 

 ance of an intermediate form between red and white, no doubt 

 giving rise to the supposition that it is a cross, but on this point 

 opinions are divided, for, notwithstanding the whitish-pink colour 

 of the flower-head, it is now believed to be a distinct species. 



