igoO.] A Russian Type of Red Clover. 471 



sowing, although its value as a spring wheat, if such be re- 

 quired, is high. 



The quality of the grain is almost invariably superb. Reports 

 received from millers and bakers not actively associated with 

 the Committee, speak in the highest terms of the flour and the 

 bread produced from it. Although the Fife wheat introduced 

 by the Committee has been grown for five consecutive years 

 in England, there is not the slightest evidence of any dimi- 

 nution in strength in the great majority of cases. 



In the course of some investigations into red clover {Trifolimn 

 pratense) in the United States, a Russian variety has been 

 obtained which, according to a Report pub- 



1)f^Red^Clover^ ^'^"^^^ ^"^^^^"^ P^^^t Industry 



(Bull. No. 95), appears to possess many 

 desirable qualities. The principal difference between this variety 

 and ordinary American red clovers lies in its freedom from 

 hairs on the stem. This is accompanied by other distinctions, 

 such as the much greater succulence of the plants and the finer 

 quality of the hay, the loss due to coarse, woody, uneatable 

 stems being reduced to almost nothing. Cattle, moreover, are 

 less liable to become blown on the hairless variety, and it is 

 evident from the experiments that where a choice is given it is 

 much preferred by cattle. It appears to mature about two 

 weeks later than ordinary American clover, and gives a very 

 heavy yield of exceptional quality for the first cutting. In 

 the experiments conducted in a number of different States, the 

 yield in nearly all cases exceeded that of the domestic strains 

 grown under similar conditions. This in itself is of great im- 

 portance, but the actual gain in value is chiefly due to the fact 

 that on account of the succulence of the plants, the general 

 quality and texture of the hay is much finer and the percentage 

 of waste is reduced to a minimum. Another point is that leaves 

 are produced much more profusely than on the American 

 forxns. 



The seed of this hairless clover was obtained by Dr. E. A. 

 Bessey through Mr. H. Goegginger, of Riga, and was produced on 



