1 ton of hay was made to yield 3 tons by applying the following fertilizer per acre: 200 pounds sodium nitrate 100 pounds acid phosphate. 50 pounds kainit This is a good fertilizer for most old timothy meadows. III. ALSIKE CLOVER Alsike clover seems to have first come into extensive cultivation in Sweden, in the village of Syke, or Alsike. It was introduced into France about 1800 and into England 30 years later, and probably into America about the same period. It has not been in extensive cultivation for a great length of time; the contrary is true of red clover and white clover, both of which have been cultivated at least 2,000 years. It would be interesting to find out how long alsike has been cultivated in your neighborhood. A study of the plant.- In June it is possible to find full-grown plants of white, alsike, and red clover. If you cannot study the plants at this time, they should be collected and dried, or, better, preserved in a formalin. solution.* On comparing the three clovers it will be found that the alsike has leaves. resembling those of the white clover, but the general appearance and the stem are more like those of the red clover. Alsike also has smooth stems, as has white clover, but the blossom has more red than does that of white clover and it is larger. In fact, the blossom appears to be about halfway between white clover and red clover. Alsike is supposed to be the result of a cross between these two clovers, and it really does partake somewhat of the characteristics of each. The alsike clover, however, has one quality that the red and the white do not have, and this is quite important to know. Red clover and white clover will not grow on many soils, which are said to be " acid," until large quantities of lime are added to sweeten" the soil. The alsike will grow on acid soil, and is found growing well in many places where red clover cannot be grown. Redtop grass also will grow on the same kinds of soil that are suited to alsike, so we often sow redtop and alsike clover together for meadow or pasture. Uses for alsike clover.- Alsike clover is a valuable feed, either as hay or pasture; but since it does not yield so heavy a crop as does red clover for hay, and is not so long-lived as white clover for pasture, the alsike A good way to keep green material for future study is to preserve it in a formalin solution. Make the solution by adding two ounces of formalin (costing 10 cents) to one gallon of water. Keep the solution in glass fruit jars. At any time when it is desired to preserve green material, merely place it in the solution and leave it there. The material will keep fresh and green for several months, or even years. is not generally sown on land where these other clovers do well. However, where the soil will not grow red or white clover without lime, it will often grow alsike very well. Alsike is especially useful on wet pasture, and, on the whole, it is a really valuable plant. Field studies. It would be well to make a field survey of the waste lands and roadsides in your neighborhood in early June, when the alsike is in blossom and most easily recognized, in order to find on what kinds of soil it seems to be growing wild. Find out by inquiry whether there is any land in the neighborhood on which some one has tried to grow red clover and failed. Has he tried alsike clover, and, if so, with what success? Learn to identify alsike clover before it blossoms, when in blossom, and when the heads are ripe. Does alsike clover spread by the stems, creeping over the ground? Do white clover and red clover spread in the same way? Dig up a plant of alsike and see whether you can find any tubercles on the roots? Get a packet of alsike clover from a seedsman and learn to identify the seed alone or when mixed with other seeds. TREE STUDY JOHN BENTLEY, JR. I. OUR FORESTS THE forests and woodlands of our State are valuable not only as a source of wood and lumber, but also because of the beneficial effects they have on the supply of water. Nearly all of our large streams and rivers rise in the mountains or hills of the State, which were originally covered with a dense growth of timber. The ground was covered with leaves, and the trees broke the fall of the rain so that, instead of rushing down the hill, the water soaked into the ground and reappeared farther down as springs. Thus the flow of the water was kept regular and even, and because of this the water was clear. After the forests were cut down the leaf litter was washed away or destroyed, and soon the heavy rains began to make gulleys in the land; so that sometimes the streams were high and at other times low, and after heavy rains they were frequently muddy. The contrast is very marked between streams that come from mountains covered with timber and those that flow for a long time through treeless regions. Those persons who have crossed the States of Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, or Wyoming know that the rivers in those sections are all very muddy; while the rivers in the States of New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, and in other Eastern States in which there are many mountains covered with timber, are comparatively clear and clean. This is because the forests hold the soil in place and prevent it from being washed away by the heavy rains. It is important, therefore, to preserve the woodlands and timber at the headwaters of our streams and rivers, and if we desire good, pure, clear water for drinking purposes we must see that the springs and small streams which form the source of our water supplies are protected by a good growth of timber. In the development of this country a great deal of timber has been destroyed. Many times some careless hunter or traveler, passing through the woods, has left a camp. fire burning and the wind has come up and blown the fire into a mass of leaves and dry sticks, setting the woods on fire. This fire, perhaps small at first, grew to be a destructive forest fire, burning many acres; and not only destroying the timber, but burning all the leaf mold on the ground so that many years must elapse before trees can grow well. Railroad locomotives send out a great many sparks, which in dry weather frequently start small fires that soon develop into large ones. In this way much timber has been burned every year. Mr. Graves, the Forester for the United States Government, makes the statement that since 1870 fifty million acres have been burned over by forest fires, resulting in a loss of fifty million dollars each year. Another cause of damage is insects. Beetles bore into the trees and kill them, or caterpillars eat the leaves off the trees and cause them gradually to die; so that between the fires, the insects, and the lumbermen, the woodlands and forests of our country have disappeared very rapidly. It is necessary for us to begin immediately to take care of our forests, and this can be done in two ways: first, by protecting them against fire and using them wisely without waste or destruction; and second, by planting new trees or sowing seed in places where trees will grow but where there are no old trees to furnish seed for new growth. Even in small communities much can be done toward helping to save our forests if each one will do his part. Boys and girls should be taught the danger of leaving a fire unguarded; it should always be extinguished before they leave the woods. They should also be taught to protect the young trees that are coming up, so that these will not be trampled on or uprooted. A most valuable nature-study lesson would be to teach the pupils to gather some seed and sow it in treeless places. They will then be doing something that in years to come will contribute greatly toward the welfare and prosperity of the community. II. THE LOCUST TREE Last year we studied the white pine, which is one of the most important of all the coniferous, or cone-bearing, trees native to this country. This year we have for special study the locust tree, which is one of the broadleaved trees. We have already learned that the cone-bearing trees furnish a very large proportion of the timber used in our country, and that the hardwoods, or broad-leaved trees, are perhaps not so generally useful. For certain purposes, however, the carpenter or the builder frequently has to turn to the hardwoods for what he wants, either for hardness or durability or for the beautiful grain Leaf and fruit of common and satin-like finish of which hardwoods are capable. We all know that a handsome piece of mahogany or curly birch or bird's-eye maple is much better suited to the making of locust |