136 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[April, 
out with furrows 3 feet apart, and the small 
tubers are dropped about 18 inches apart, and 
covered 3 inches deep. Go over the field in a 
week or two with a light harrow to kill weeds, 
and cultivate between the rows until the plants 
get so large, as to render it unnecessary. It 
grows readily in dry soil. Those who make 
trial of it, should take care that the plant does 
not become established as a weed. 
Alsike Clover. 
The Alsike clover is still under discussion in 
the agricultural papers, and the accounts as to 
its value continue to be variable. Some of our 
correspondents ask how this differs from other 
clovers, and others wish our “candid opinion” 
in regard to it as a forage crop. This clover is 
also called Swedish, and frequently the “Swed¬ 
ish or Alsike,” a doubling of names which it is 
desirable to avoid. The name Alsike was given 
to it because it was introduced into Great Brit¬ 
ain in 1834, from the Swedish district of Alsike. 
It grows wild in Sweden, Denmark, and through¬ 
out the greater part of Russia, as well as in 
Southern Europe. Its botanical name is Tri- 
folium hybridurn. We give an engraving about 
one-third less than the natural size, which will 
show that it is readily distinguishable from the 
Red Clover (Irifolium pratense), by the form of 
its leaves, as well as by the character of its 
flowers. The flower head of the Red Clover 
has leaves just below it, while the separate flow¬ 
ers are sessile, or without individual stems, and 
they do not turn downwards after blooming. 
The flowers of the Alsike are white, (the older 
ones turning pink,) and in this it resembles the 
White Clover, (Trifolium rtipens), as it does in 
some other particulars. It is distinguished 
from the White by its erect (not creeping) stem, 
and its more wedge-shaped leaflets, which are 
more distinctly toothed on the margin, and 
without the notch at the end that gives those of 
the White Clover a heart- 
shape. The seeds of the 
three are readily distinguish¬ 
ed. Red Clover seeds are 
about twice the size of the 
other two, and have a dis¬ 
tinct notch or angle upon 
one side; they vary in color 
from lemon-yellow to pur¬ 
ple. The seeds of the White 
and Alsike are nearly of the 
same size; the White are less 
regular in shape and vary in 
color from lemon yellow to 
light chestnut-brown. The 
seeds of the Alsike range 
from pale yellowish-green 
through olive to blackish- 
purple. The seeds can be 
readily distinguished under a magnifier. The 
seeds ripen late in Juty. Being much smaller 
than those of Red Clover, it requires only half 
the amount of seed to the acre. The 
present price of seed is from 60 to 75 
cents a pound, according to quantity. 
An analysis by Dr. Anderson showed 
the Alsike to contain nearly twice as 
much nitrogen as the common clover, but 
more recent analyses, given by Prof. 
Johnson in “How Crops Grow,” do not 
sustain this conclusion—although it is 
a little richer in nitrogen than the Red 
Clover, but not so rich in this respect 
as the White Clover. It is a perennial, 
of a duration depending upon the char¬ 
acter of the soil, but usually short. It 
goes to seed readily and in permanent 
meadows or pastures reseeds itself and 
continues to flourish for many years. 
The Alsike Clover attracted much atten¬ 
tion in England because it was found to 
flourish on soils that were “ clover sick.” 
It has never been claimed by any reli¬ 
able authority that it would produce as 
much hay per acre as the Red Clover 
where the soil was well adapted to the 
growth of the latter. But it is found 
very useful on soils where clover sickness 
prevails. We are not warranted in as¬ 
suming from this, however, that the Al¬ 
sike Clover will grow on soils where Red 
Clover perishes from an excess of moist- 
re. The “ clover sickness” of England 
and the failure of clover on our low, wet, 
mucky soils are entirely different “dis¬ 
eases.” Underdraining will cure the lat¬ 
ter, but the former often occurs on the 
driest and best drained land. As yet 
“clover sickness” is unknown or ex¬ 
ceedingly rare in this country, and so far 
as this disease (supposed to be caused by 
a fungus) is concerned, we have no 
need of Alsike Clover. The only ques¬ 
tion is in regard to its value on low, wet land 
where the Red Clover is killed out. It has 
more fibrous roots, less tap-root than that, 
and hence may not be as liable to be thrown 
out by the frost on wet land. It is on this point 
that we desire information. We arc aware that 
every good quality has been ascribed to the 
Alsike, but we imagine that its advocates are 
influenced by a desire to increase the demand 
for the seed. Where good crops of Red Clover 
can be grown there is nothing to be gained by 
sowing the Alsike. It will not yield as much 
hay per acre, and as the roots do not go so deep 
it will not stand a drought so well, or bring up 
from the subsoil as much plant-food as the Red 
Clover, and will not enrich the land as much 
Fig. 1.— PLATFORM DOG-POWEK. 
Dog and Sheep Power for Churning. 
Something has excited the interest of our sub¬ 
scribers in “dog-powers”—that is, in contriv¬ 
ances for utilizing the power of dogs for churn¬ 
ing, and, perhaps, other light work—as we 
judge from the numerous inquiries lately receiv¬ 
ed. This is a good symptom, it shows that 
there are some people who have waked up to 
the need of alleviating the drudgery of woman’s 
toil. Where there is much churning to be done, 
a dog-power is truly a labor-saving device. 
There are several different kinds, the best, per¬ 
haps, is a “ tread-power,” like the ordinary one, 
or two-horse tread-powers. These, however, are 
rather costly, and can only be made by experi- 
Fig. 2.— WHEEL DOG-POWER. 
enced mechanics. There are forms, however, 
which may easily be made by any one familiar 
with the use of tools. Two of these we repre¬ 
sent in the accompanying engravings. They 
are worked upon very different principles. The 
revolving platform, fig. 1, is set at such an angle 
that, though the weight of the dog operates to 
favor the turning, it is, after all, by his strength 
of draft that the machine is effective. The ani¬ 
mal must be harnessed in some simple way and 
attached to some fixed object. The harness 
figured has no advantage over the simpler one 
by which the arctic sledge-dogs are attached to 
the vehicles they draw. This is by means of a 
broad collar-band, and a small rope or timing 
passing from it between the legs and lielil in po¬ 
sition by a belly-band. The platform power is 
made as light as possible, consistent with 
strength. There is a frame made, supported 
upon the shaft by means of cross-beams pinned 
alsike clover—( Trifolium hybridum.) 
