Show WHISKERS ON RED CLOVER ARE DUE TO ATTACKS OF OFU LEAF T HOPPER little ansec insect t always injures smooth variety prepared by tho the united states state department of 0 agriculture red clover in fit the united states grows whiskers that stand straight out from the steins of the plants while in england the ancestral form of the die american type Is ts still comparatively free from hairiness in attempting on an explanation of the change from the smooth to the halry form dr A J ilsters of tile united states department of agriculture says it is necessary to turn to the wild red clover to which all clovers are related and which shows a tendency toward hairiness the possibility of producing hairy plants was therefore in the blood of the relatively smooth type brought from england more diore than years ago he says furthermore a few rough halry plants have occurred in III fields seeded wl with th the english clovers I 1 when this english clover was brought to america it encountered new ew conditions among them a little insect not known in E europe drope and called the potato leaf hopper TL alls Is insect damages red clover espe especially cally the forms doing the most injury to io the second or seed crop doctor beters says cays it always keeps down the ilie growth of the smooth plants of european iodean clovers grown in the united states so they will not seed well the hilry american AmerIc nn type Is little affect affected id especially especially when there are smooth plants on which the leaf hopper con feed A reasonable inference says doctor Pl eters may be drawn front from what ls la known to io happen today and from froin tile the known knon facts the most reasonable answer to the alie question of why american clover Is hairy la is that the constant attacks of the lent leaf hopper carried on bormore for moie more than one hundred years gradually eliminated th the smooth forio foral by keeping doft the production of seed while the rough hajy form produced more seed than th the other and so constantly increased |