SWEET CLOVER.* 



Special Bulletin No. 113. 



C. R. MEGEE. 



Sweet clover has long been recognized as a forage crop but only 

 recently has its value been appreciated and a place allotted it in our 

 agricultural program. The principal causes for the lack of appreciation 

 of this crop are (1) the tendency of the stems to become very coarse and 

 woody upon coming into blossom, (2) its aggressiveness on many waste 

 places and (3) the bitter taste which makes it unpalatable until stock 

 have become accustomed to it. 



If a hay crop is desired the coarse, woody stems may be almost 

 entirely eliminated by cutting at the proper time. The aggressiveness 

 of the plant makes it very valuable as a soil improver, especially upon 

 lands that have been cultivated over a long period and are low in organic 

 matter and available plant food. Sweet clover does not become a pest 

 in cultivated fields or pastures. Stock will become accustomed to the 

 peculiar taste of sweet clover in a very few days and will eat the hay 

 or pasture as readily as clover or blue-grass. 



A SOIL BUILDER. 



Sweet clover belongs to the group of plants known as legumes, whicli 

 when inoculated have the ability of making use of the free nitrogen of 

 the air and storing it in the plant tissue. This is very important in 

 crop production because nitrogen is one of the essential elements for 

 plant growth and the most expensive element purchased in a complete 

 fertilizer. 



Through the proper use of leguminous plants such as sweet clover, 

 alfalfa and red clover, it is possible to largely eliminate the need of 

 purchasing nitrogen in the form of a commercial fertilizer. The same 

 organism that inoculates sweet clover also inoculates alfalfa, thus sweet 

 clover is a valuable crop to precede alfalfa. 



Sweet clover is valuable as a soil improver because it will grow on 

 soils that are quite low in fertility and deficient in organic matter, pro- 

 vided they are well supplied with lime. For this reason it is one of 

 the best crops for building up light soils and poor, heavily cropped 

 soils that are low in fertility, whether heavy or light. 



A VALUABLE I'ASTURE CROP. 



When properly handled sweet clover furnishes an abundance of 

 pasturage from early spring until late fall. Unlike alfalfa it seldom 



•The term "sweet clover" in this bulletin refers to the biennial white sweet clover. 



