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The pods are easily threshed off; a common practise is to do this by simply beating 
the plants, spread out on cloths, with the fork. It is more difficult to remove the seeds 
from the tough pods (fig. 7). he clover shelling machine is most suitable for this pur- 
pose. Other methods, such as those described under red clover, may be adopted. During 
shelling, very many seeds become crushed and broken: the percentage of these in commer- 
cial seed frequently rises to 10, 20, or even more. 
The yield of seed per acre, according to Werner, varies between 440 and 700 Ibs. Yield of seed. 
Wild mustard or charlock (Sinapis arvensis) and ribgrass (Plantago lanceolata) are fre- Impurities and 
quent impurities. 'Adulteration is not attempted, because the seed is so cheap. But for this adulterations. 
reason viz. the cheapness of the seeds, hop trefoil is often mixed with other seeds, such as 
red clover and lucerne (which see). 
Seed and amounts to be sown. (00d commercial seed should have 97 °/, purity and geed quality. 
85°/, germination = 82.5°/, of pure and germinating seed. One Ib. of pure seed contains, 
on an average, 328,000 grains. The bushel varies in weight from 64 to 66 Ibs. 
One acre requires 18 Ibs. of seed, containing 82.5 °/, pure and germinating = ee TS aeounis sebe 
of pure and germinating seed. When the seed used for sowing Is unshelled, twice as sown. 
much is needed. 
The clover sowing machine is suitable for sowing trefoil. The preparatory crop, pre- — gowing. 
paration before sowing, and after culture, are the same as for lucerne (which see), a pro- 
tective crop may or may not be used, 
Trefoil should never be sown pure, and, in mixtures of grasses and clovers, its only use is lo Mixtures. 
form bottom herbage. Its short duration fits it for clover grass mixtures to be used for two years. 
A good pasture mixture for a sandy soil is white clover 65 per cent, trefoil 35 per cent. If the eround is 
~ more suitable for trefoil, its proportion in the mixture may be increased, while that of white clover is 
diminished. Mixtures with red clovers and Italian rye-grass are also used. In mixtures for hay, it is 
less appropriate, because the deep shade, which is cast by its half creeping half ascending stems, may 
easily lead to loss of other plants better than itself. On good soils, all plants with spreading habit 
of growth should, for a similar reason, be kept out of hay mixtures whether for temporary or per- 
manent leys. | 
XXIX. Bird’s foot trefoil. 
Lotus corniculatus, la. 
ig. A. Two stems, shewing flower and fruit. Rrjlapation 
B. Base of a leaf, shewing rudimentary stipules. of plate. 
C. Leaf of Lotus tenuifolius. 
1. The flower, front-view. 
, 2. The same, side-view. 
3, The same, with calyx remove.l. 
