PRACTICAL PAPERS—BEE-KEEPING. 
305 
“ Alsike clover is not adapted to light sandy, or sandy and gravelly soils, 
with porous or leach subsoils. With good clay subsoil it succeeds better. 
But it luxuriates in rich, thoroughly worked clay-loam soils, rich bottom lands, 
prairie, and all marsh or swamp lands where they can be plowed so as to 
kill the wild grasses. Flowing through winter and spring does not in¬ 
jure it. Here it will accept the situation, and display its magnificent pro¬ 
duct on the scale of five tons of finely cured hay to the acre. But mark, 
deeply stirred, rich, moist land, underdrained or subsoiled, or both, will only 
produce this burden. J'he chemical action of plaster is strikingly manifest 
on this plant. Blossoms are developed more or less when the plant is from 
eight to ten inches in height, and when three and a half feet, it is a perfect 
sea of bloom. • 
“ Millions of dollars may be added to the wealth of this country, especial¬ 
ly in the west, in a few years, by sowing one acre this year, and gradually 
extending its area. For soiling cows, horses, etc., when pastures fail, it is 
equal or superior to green corn, and attended with much less trouble in the 
gathering and feeding. During the past year I cut three crops from the 
same ground, standing at the first cutting from two to three feet in height, 
as thick as it could stand, small, delicate stalks, with numerous branches, 
and perfectly glorified with a mass of small peach-blow colored blossoms 
filling the air with the most delightful and exhilarating perfume, and swarm¬ 
ing with bees every fair day. The root is like red clover, but longer and 
more fibrous. The haulm, is small, tender, and nutritious. When well 
cured, as it should be, in full bloom, every spear will be eaten with avidity 
by all kinds of stock. 
“ There is no plant known that will produce so much honey, butter, 
cheese, beef, mutton, wool and hay per acre as this plant, not even except¬ 
ing corn. In using the latter for soiling, you get only the haulm, while in the 
alsike, you get the haulm and a large yield of honey; and if the ground is 
prepared as well by deep tilth, manure and plaster, or other fertilizers, as 
for corn, you will get as much by weight of the haulm. 
“ It bears feeding to an enormous degree. I think its fattening qualities 
superior to the famous blue-grass of Kentucky; and as it will flourish well 
on such soils as I have designated, and from the Gulf to lake Superior, far¬ 
mers can easily perceive its immense advantages to their pockets. Besides, 
the expense of seeding down every three or four years is saved. It is a 
great renovator and disintegrator of hard, tenacious soils. Its long tap roots 
and numerous fibres reach deep for its pabulum, and thus loosen the soil and 
endure drought well. Some think there are two kinds of this clover. I 
think not. The difierence in growth, etc., in diverse localities is owing to 
the character of the soil. I never saw any but the large kind on land once 
covered with beech, maple, oak, bass, lever-wood, etc.; and I never saw any 
but the small kind on light, sandy, and gravelly soils. Also on pebbly soils, 
with calcareous debris, and good tenacious subsoils, it succeeds well. It is 
no humbug. Farmers, try it, and report results.” 
20—Ag. Tit. 
