6 A SOIL PREPARATION—SEEDING Sweet clover requires a well-prepared seed bed. Preparation of the soil should be very similar to that for alfalfa and other small seeds. Land that has been summer- fallowed until the middle of July and then seeded without a nurse crop, ensures a good catch of sweet clover. Fall or Spring plowed land requires frequent surface cultivation to destroy all weed seeds before seeding to sweet clover. It is important that the soil be fine and firm on top, and contain as much moisture as possible. Sweet clover has given best results when seeded from May ist to July 1st without a nurse crop on land that is reasonably moist. The nurse crop may be used where there is an abundance of soil moisture. It will aid in suppressing weed growth and in giving protection from high winds to the small clover plants. Where moisture is scarce, best results are insured from sweet clover seeded in late June or early July without a nurse crop. The greatest yields of seed are obtained when the crop is sown in rows 24 to 36 inches apart; but for hay a finer quality results from seeding broadcast or in drills, six to eight inches apart. SCARIFYING THE SEED There is always a high percentage of hard-coated seeds in sweet clover which do not germinate readily. This condition can be corrected to a large extent by scarifying the seed. Scarifying consists of rubbing or rasping the seed coat so as to make it less resistant to moisture, and is performed by a machine specially made for the pur- pose. However, those who have silage cutters can scarify their seed by lining the. drum with sandpaper and running the seed over the blower, which throws the seed against the gritty surface. Failure to scarify sweet clover seed often results in poor germination and uneven stands. INOCULATION If neither sweet clover nor alfalfa has been grown on the land before, it will be necessary to inoculate the seed before seeding, in order to supply the young plants with the bacteria which are capable of extracting free nitrogen from the air. The proper culture for artificial inoculation can be obtained from the Dominion Bacteriologist, Central Experimental Farm, Ottawa, or from most of the agricultural colleges. This culture is supplied in small bottles with full directions for its proper use. The seed may also be inoculated by treating it with a solution of glue and then dusting it with inoculated soil from an old clover field. As a Hay Crop—lIf cut in the early stages before the blossoms appear, sweet clover makes a fair quality of hay. The yellow blossomed sweet clover makes a better quality of hay than the white blossomed kinds. Care must be taken when curing sweet clover, otherwise the leaves become brittle and break off easily. The hay should be handled as little as possible to avoid shattering and loss of leaves. This is important, because the leaves have a higher food value than the stems. Sweet clover may be successfully cut with the grain binder. Some have found the corn binder most satisfactory when the crop was grown in rows three feet or more apart. The grain separator will thresh sweet clover, but it does not remove the hulls satisfactorily. The clover, huller will remove the hulls. As a Honey Plant—Sweet clover has long been recognized by beekeepers as a source of nectar. As aresult, large quantities of the seed are sold every year to be sown solely for its nectar. Producers of sweet clover seed might combine the two enterprises of seed growing and honey production with good returns. The honey from white sweet clover is light in color and has a very fine, mild flavor. As a Silage Crop—Sweet clover does not make as good an ensilage crop as it does a pasture crop, but it is claimed that it makes equally as nutritious a silage as alfalfa. The tonnage of both these crops, however, is usually too small to recommend their gen- eral use for silage. As a Seed Crop—For the production of seed, sweet clover is best sown in rows two to three feet apart. This method permits of some cultivation and assists in weed and moisture control. Biennial sweet clover does not produce seed until the second year. The first crop in the second season of growth is used for seed. The seed ripens unevenly, and the crop is harvested when about three-quarters of the seed pods have turned dark brown or black; usually about the last week in August or the first week in September. Sweet clover gives high yields of seed. Under similar conditions of dry land, sweet clover sets a very much better crop of seed than does alfalfa. Sweet clover has proved quite drought hardy. It is also capable of withstanding very low temperatures with little Winter killing. The apparent Winter killing of sweet clover is in many cases due to sclerotinia, a disease which attacks the roots. A loose-leaf binder for holding these Farm News Sheets may be had at the small price of 50 cents, postage paid, with index and news sheets issued to date. This special offer is to encourage the keeping and filing of agricultural information for quick refer- ence when wanted. See the Farm News Service page in our General Catalogue for further information. : If you receive an extra copy of a bulletin, please pass it on to a friend or neighbor. The information contained in this bulletin is received from reliable sources, but the Company does not assume responsibility, and will not be liable for any damage which any person may sustain in carrying out or in attempting to carry out the suggestions.