ee Te eee ee ee 
a 
144 
Nutritive According to Wolff, 100 lbs. of hay contain 79.4 of organic matter composed of: 
value. Nitrogenous matter , ‘ 14.2 °/o portion digested 8.2 °/, 
Fat ; 2.6 °/o ‘> “ 14°), 
Fibre. ; , f 26.3 °/o | 
1] a ; } yy 4 . 5° 29 36.8 wh 
Non-nitrogenous extractives. 36.3 °/o 
Ratio of nitrogenous to non-nitrogenous nulriment 1: 4.9. 
The proportion of nutritive matter contained in this plant is thus greater than in red clover hay 
of medium quality, 
According to the Swiss results, 100 Ibs. of hay contain of 76.7 organic matter composed of: — 
Nitrogenous matter (Nitrogen < 6.25). ; . AZB fo 
(albuminoid-nitrogen 41.29 °/o, non-albuminoid nitrogen 
0.75 °/o) 
0 
Fat : ; : , ; ; 1.9%, 
Lene 9B 0 
Fibre + . . + + . * . . . 36.4 ip 
Non-nitrogenous extractives. ; : : R . 25.6 Jo 
The fodder is readily eaten by sheep, goats and cattle, but not by horses. It acts as an 
astringent, an action probably depending on the large proportion of tannin in the plant. Jt does not 
produce flatulence. 
Harvesting Harvesting, impurities and adulteration of the seed. It is important to select the 
the seed. yioht time for cutting, for if cut too early, threshing is difficult, and if too late, a quan- 
tity of the seed falls off and is lost. In this case the first produce is allowed to 
develope and ripen for seed. Usually, seed is ripe by the beginning or middle of 
August. The plants should be cut when the pods are partly black and partly dark 
green. Further procedure is the same as for red clover. The dried flowers and the pods 
which they contain, are readily threshed off, but the removal of the seeds from the pods 
causes some difficulty. <A threshing machine to which a clover-rubber has been attached 
is good for shelling, the clover shelling machine is even better for the purpose. Sometimes 
unshelled seed, at times even ripe flowers, are used for sowing. 
Yield of seed. Werner estimates that the yield of seed per acre varies between 350 and 700 Ibs., i. e. on an 
average, 440 lbs. per acre. 
Impurities and The seed is green on one side and yellow on the other, and is 
adulterations. very often mixed with trefoil (Medicago lupulina, L., fig. 59). 
Trefoil seed is smaller, greenish yellow in colour, and shows the 
small tip of the radicle projecting on the surface. Genuine seed 
may be most readily obtained from Berlin or Breslau, 
Seed quality. Seed and amounts to be sown. Good seed should have 95 °/o 
purity and 90 °/o germination = 85.5 %/o of pure and germinating 
seed. One lb. of pure seed contains from 126,000 to 182,000 B 
grains. The bushel varies in weight between 60 and 64 Ibs. 
Amounts to be An acre requires 17'/2 lbs. of seed containing 85.5 °/o of pure : : f 
sown. and germinating seed = 105 lbs. of pure and germinating seed. Fig. 59. 
If the seed is contained in the pod unshelled, 22 Ibs. per acre Trefoil. 
are necessary, since 100 lbs. of pods contain 80 Ibs. of seed. sini La ei th! 
: , ie _ a. The pod, with persistent calyx 
If the floral envelopes are present in addition to the pods, 117 SY, : + 
ee AL: Ne Rois : 7Y : nF Wet Pa Pee b. The seed natural size. 
Ibs. are required, as 100 lbs. of pods enveloped by the calyx and - ane seed S71. 
corolla contain only 15 per cent of seed. 
