Crimson clover may be seeded in late summer in any of the ordinary intertilled crops. It may be seeded alone following any farm crop which can be removed from the land by early summer, so that the seed can be sown in late summer or very early fall. It may also be seeded for hay in mixture with grain, such as wheat, rye, barley, or winter oats, which are ready to cut for hay at about the same time as the clover the following spring. A very light seeding of an animal catch crop, such as buckwheat, may be made with crimson clover in time for the catch crop to make its growth before winter.

SEEDING CRIMSON CLOVER IN INTERTILLED CROPS.

Although crimson clover may be seeded in almost any of the intertilled crops, in this country probably half of it is sown in corn at or shortly after the time of the last cultivation. (Fig. 3.) It is usually possible to make such a seeding, obtain a good growth during the fall and early spring, and mature a crop of hay in time for breaking up the land for another crop of corn. South of the latitude of central Delaware it is even possible to mature a crop of clover seed in time for corn planting. In this way it is possible to grow a crop of corn each year and at the same time steadily increase the fertility of the soil for a series of years. Treated in this manner each succeeding crop of corn can ordinarily be materially increased. Instances are reported where the yield of corn has been gradually increased by this means from 10 bushels per acre at the start until as high as 70 bushels per acre were secured.

The newly seeded stands of clover in corn are likely to perish if drought occurs at or after seeding time. Tho growing corn makes heavy demands on the soil moisture, and if there is not enough moisture for both clover and corn the latter gets the larger share and the tender clover plants are likely to succumb. It sometimes happens that a very light rain shortly after seeding the clover will cause the seeds to germinate, only to perish during the succeeding days of dry weather. On account of the competition for moisture between the corn and clover it is best to cover the clover seed a little deeper than is necessary when it is sown on fallow land.

North, of the Potomac River the last cultivation of the corn comes at about the right time for the best results with clover seeded at the same time. Farther south, however, there is too much hot weather after the corn is laid by, and as a consequence it is best to delay the seeding of the crimson clover until about 8 or 10 weeks before the first frost may be expected. A light furrow-toothed cultivator or harrow may be run shallow between the rows to cover the seed. The seed may be sown broadcast by hand or even from horseback with a rotary seeder. In such an event, however, it is necessary to cover the ears of the horse with small bags or socks to prevent the entrance of the flying seed. A much more even stand is made possible if the corn is given level tillage rather than the ridged tillage incident to plowing with a 1-horse corn plow and ridging the land. The appearance of a field of crimson clover seeded the summer previous in corn is indicated in figure 4.

In North Carolina and southern Virginia it has been found possible under favorable conditions to obtain a satisfactory stand of clover by seeding in cotton. The clover should not be sown until 10 or 12 weeks before frost and the last working of the cotton comes ordinarily at an earlier date than this. It is necessary that the cotton be given very clean culture, as well as special attention paid to conserving the moisture in the prospective clover-seed bed. Unless the first show of cotton is picked early it is difficult to cover the clover seed without unduly injuring the opened cotton bolls. In the higher and more northern parts of the cotton belt it is possible to make the clover seeding before the bolls begin to burst.

Crimson clover may be seeded in practically any of the cultivated truck crops which receive their last cultivation from 8 to 12 weeks before the first frost. It is not practicable to seed the clover in late potatoes, as the digging of the potatoes in the fall practically destroys the stand of clover. The heavy application of fertilizers necessary for the truck crop makes possible a vigorous growth of the clover. The result is that the soil is materially built up in both nitrogen and humus. The clover makes its growth at a season of the year when the land is not ordinarily occupied by any of the regular truck crops.

When timely rains follow the seeding it is possible to seed the clover on the surface of the ground among cantaloupe vines and allow the first rain to cover the seed. The shade is apparently too dense under watermelon vines for the clover seedlings to survive. The writer has obtained a good stand by seeding the clover seed, without covering, in sweet potatoes the first week in August on sandy land near Washington, D. C. By hand-digging the potatoes with a spade a fair stand of the clover plants was left unharmed.

SEEDING CRIMSON CLOVER AFTER EARLY-MATURING CROPS.

It is possible to seed crimson clover after practically any of the ordinary farm crops which can be removed from the land three months before frost.

It is somewhat difficult to obtain anything like an ideal seed bed for crimson clover where a field of grain stubble has been plowed under. The soil in a stubble field is apt to be dry and cloddy when plowed, while the stubble tends to form a dry mat at the bottom of each furrow. Such a condition is likely to continue for a number of weeks after plowing and to result disastrously to the clover seedlings unless there be abundant and frequent rains. It is ordinarily a better practice to disk the grain stubble and harrow every week, or at least after every rain, in order to settle the ground and assist in holding the moisture pending the time of seeding. Such frequent harrowings will also kill the successive crops of germinating weed seeds, which might otherwise injure the young stand of clover.

On the other hand, the ground from which early potatoes have been removed is very favorable for the establishment of a stand of crimson clover. The residual effect of the fertilizers used on the potatoes is partially responsible for this, while the well-settled seed bed, which requires only leveling and harrowing, also presents favorable conditions for the crimson-clover seedlings.

SEEDING CRIMSON CLOVER WITH LATE SUMMER-SEEDED ANNUAL CROPS.

Crimson clover may be seeded in midsummer or in late summer with a very light seeding of buckwheat. The buckwheat soon forms an ideal shade for the young clover plants and unless frosts occur very early a crop of buckwheat may usually be harvested. This method has been suggested as being applicable when seeding the clover in cotton. If the buckwheat is not seeded until August it will not ordinarily produce seed in the latitude of Washington, D. C. Wherever possible, the seeding of buckwheat and crimson clover should be made so early that there will be time for the buckwheat to mature its seed crop, as in this way the buckwheat itself will pay for the expense of starting both stands. A light seeding of the buckwheat must be made, as an ordinary stand of buckwheat shades the ground so completely as to destroy the crimson clover.

Another method of preventing the injurious effect of the hot sun of late summer is to make a light seeding of cowpeas at the same time that the crimson clover is seeded. The cowpeas germinate promptly, and being rather thin on the ground do not injure the stand of clover, but on the contrary afford sufficient shade to prevent the soil from becoming as hot as it otherwise would. In addition, the clover plants receive some protection from the direct rays of the sun. There is ordinarily not enough time for the cowpeas to mature, so they are either mown for hay or left standing to catch the snow during the winter and protect the stand of clover. In seedlings made by the writer half a bushel of cowpeas per acre, broadcasted, gave vary satisfactory results, the seeding being made August 1 on sandy ground near Washington, D. C. The clover and cowpeas were sown broadcast on early-potato ground and covered from one-half to 1 inch deep.

If a light seeding of turnips be made with the clover, the turnip plants will afford some protection to the young clover plants and at the same time will ordinarily yield a fair crop of turnips. About 1 pound of turnip seed and 15 pounds of clover seed should be sown to the acre. If the seeding of turnips be at all heavy the coarse-growing turnip plants will choke out too many of the clover plants. The Cow Horn turnips appear to be especially adapted for seeding with crimson clover.

CRIMSON CLOVER IN MIXTURES WITH OTHER LEGUMES AND GRAIN.

When crimson clover is seeded alone on good soil it is likely to make so rank a growth as to lodge. To overcome this difficulty it is a common practice to seed some small-grain crop with the clover at seeding time. South of the Potomac River winter oats are ordinarily very satisfactory, especially when seeded with the late white-blooming strain of crimson clover. In Delaware and eastern Maryland wheat is commonly used. In addition to wheat and oats, rye or barley is sometimes used. The customary rate of seeding is about 15 pounds of clover seed and 30 pounds of grain per acre. The accompanying illustration (fig. 5) indicates the appearance of a field seeded to a mixture of crimson clover and wheat. The grain prevents the clover from lodging, facilitates the curing of the clover hay, and, in addition, forms a valuable constituent of the resulting hay crop. The yield of the mixture is ordinarily somewhat more than when the clover is seeded alone. The Alabama State Agricultural Experiment Station secured as the average for two years' experiments the following yields of hay:

The grain is usually well headed but is in the milk or soft-dough stage when the clover is ready to cut. The presence of the grain hay makes the clover hay more easily cured. With winter oats it is usually best to seed the late white-blooming variety of crimson clover, as the oat crop matures somewhat later than the ordinary crimson clover. Another advantage of this mixture is that if either should fail the other will be present to serve as a cover crop during winter and bring some return the following spring.

Crimson clover may be seeded in mixtures with vetch, shaftal clover, trefoil, or, in fact, any winter-growing legume which has a growing season similar to crimson clover. Since most of these legumes are not upright in their growth it is usually necessary to seed some grain crop with them to serve as a support and to prevent the plants from lodging. The grain is ordinarily a surer crop than the legumes and practically insures the ground being covered with some crop during the winter and spring months.

SEEDING CRIMSON CLOVER ALONE.

If a good seed bed can be prepared by August 1 in the latitude of Washington, D. C., crimson clover will ordinarily produce a satisfactory stand if seeded entirely alone. This is especially true on the clay soils, where it is often difficult to obtain a successful catch in corn at the last working. The seed is sown at the same rate as when seeded in corn, namely, about 15 pounds per acre. It is the common practice to broadcast the seed and to cover with a very light barrow or weeder. Unless the August sun be unduly hot and a drought develops, such seeding will ordinarily produce very satisfactory results if the soil be reasonably fertile.