356 WISCONSIN STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
the loss of the clover was due to the natural decay and not to 
winter killing, was evident from the fact that young clover sown 
the spring previous in the same field, equally exposed, came 
through the winter all right. Since then I have seen a number of 
such instances, and heard farmers complain of the loss of their 
clover from winter-killing, and when told that it was because they 
had taken off a seed crop the fall previous, they would not be¬ 
lieve it. 
I doubt if two seed crops have been taken from the same plants 
of red clover. I am inclined to the belief, that the second crop of 
seed was taken from new plants that had not matured seeds be¬ 
fore. 
I have suffered little loss from clover plants winter-killing. 
Sometimes in dry, open winters, patches of clover will freeze out, 
and I have used half-rotted straw as a mulch to prevent it. 
VALUE FOR PASTJRE. 
The value of red clover for pastures is well understood. The 
only objection to it is, that it occasionally produces hoven in cat¬ 
tle when turned on to fresh clover. To prevent or lessen the 
danger from hoven, the clover should be free from dew or water 
when cattle are first turned to pasture. Cattle should not be 
turned in with empty stomachs. They should not be salted within 
a day previously to being turned in the first time. They should 
be gradually accustomed to the change of feed by keeping them 
in only a few minutes the first time, a little longer the next time, 
and so on until they are accustomed to the change. After that, 
they may be allowed to remain in. I do not consider it safe at 
any time to turn cattle with empty stomachs on to fresh clover. 
I know of no other forage plant equal to red clover in nutritive 
qualities. The cheapest pork I ever made was from a lot of late 
fall pigs kept in thrifty condition, and turned on to clover in the 
spring, pastured on clover entirely during the summer, fed corn a 
few weeks in the fall, and sold when about a year old. The cost 
of that pork was about three and one-half cents per pound, calling 
the corn fed to the pigs worth forty cents per bushel. 
AS A RENOVATING CROP. 
The very great value of red clover as a renovating crop is 
