117
Fertilization of Clover. - Meehan's Gardener's Monthly for September
contains, as usual, some matters of special interest to botanists.
Prof. J. W. Beal gives the result of three years' experiments to ascertain whether red clover not visited by bees will produce seeds. The
experiments were made by covering some heads and comparing them
with others uncovered. It would appear that the covered heads
often produced a considerable number of seeds; but, as sometimes
they produced none, and, "in nearly every case, the heads which
were covered soon fall to the ground, where they remain until ripe,"
the experiments seem inconclusive and require to be repeated with
more care and with a larger number. The germinating powers of the
seed should also be tested.*

• In an editorial Mr. Meehan refers to these experiments in corroboration
of his own experiments and conclusions that there are many reasons why clover
does not seed, aside from mere questions of pollinization.