The seed bed for crimson clover should be firm, moist, well settled, and fine on top. Any efforts that may be expended to conserve the soil moisture previous to seeding are usually justified, especially if there be any lack of rainfall during the month previous or the month following seeding. Where the clover is seeded in an intertilled crop, such as corn, cotton, or tomatoes, the customary cultivation received by these crops is ordinarily sufficient for the needs of crimson clover. Where grain-stubble land is plowed in preparation for the clover a month or six weeks are ordinarily required for the soil to settle sufficiently to make a proper seed bed, since after plowing at least one soaking rain, which compacts the soil and fills it with moisture, is essential to the proper preparation of the seed bed for crimson clover. If the ground be disked, a much shorter time and less rain are required for the proper settling of the seed bed. The best method of retaining the moisture in the seed bed is to harrow or give shallow cultivation shortly after each rain. A fine soil mulch on the surface will largely prevent the soil just beneath the surface from losing its moisture through evaporation. Such surface tillage should, of course, be given before seeding the crimson clover. =FERTILIZERS FOR CRIMSON CLOVER.= Under the ordinary conditions of soil fertility the fertilizer applied to the preceding crop is sufficient for the needs of crimson clover. This is especially true where the clover follows such crops as potatoes or tomatoes, which are ordinarily heavily treated with fertilizers that are not entirely used up by these crops. It is important to realize, however, that crimson clover has a very short period of growth and that to make a vigorous growth it must have a good supply of plant food. On sandy soils where there has been no recent application of fertilizers it is often the practice to apply from 200 to 400 pounds of a mixture of equal parts of acid phosphate and kainite. On clay soils 300 or 400 pounds per acre of acid phosphate are ordinarily sufficient. If the soil be low in nitrates a light application of nitrate of soda will assist materially in giving the young clover plants a good start and winter which otherwise might have proved fatal to the stand. If the seeding has been delayed, as by waiting for suitable rains, an application of nitrate fertilizer will stimulate the young plants and enable them to make an increased growth before winter.