AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 249 



There is no pasture crop which will support as many cattle or other 

 live stock as will sweet clover during the second season of its growth. A 

 small experimental plot of little more than an acre yielded two big loads 

 of hay. The plants were permitted to get a good start after the hay was 

 cut before pasturing, then two cows and a horse were turned in for the 

 rest of the season. In addition to furnishing an abundant pasture for 

 three, more than twenty bags of seed were secured. Allowing $15 per ton 

 for hay, $1 a month per head for pasture, and $3 a bag for the seed, all 

 very conservative figures, the crop returned about $96 per acre. While this 

 small plot was experimental, there are numerous farmers who have re- 

 ceived more than $100 an acre for seed alone. 



Cultural Requirements. 



It frequently happens that, having seen sweet clover growing along 

 the roadsides, on gravelly banks and other unpromising situations, we are 

 surprised to fail in getting a stand in a well prepared field. Sweet clover 

 requires a firm seed bed, and will not succeed on land where the soil has 

 been deeply stirred and left in a loose condition. It is well to scratch 

 the surface with a tool that does not penetrate deeply, leaving the surface 

 loose for an inch or so, and compact below. While it will succeed on a 

 great variety of soils, it requires that they be in a well settled condition 

 and not freshly plowed to a depth of several inches, such as best suits 

 many forage plants. This condition probably accounts for more failures 

 in getting a stand of sweet clover than any other cause. 



Sowing the seed on top of the ground or on the snow in winter, will 

 often secure a good stand with no cultivation at all. Good results often 

 come from sowing it with small grain in spring, on land that has been cul- 

 tivated the previous season. Some succeed by sowing after the last cul- 

 tivation of corn, the seed germinating to some extent the same season, 

 while some does not sprout until the following spring. The ideal condition 

 is to cover the seed from half an inch to an inch with finely pulverized soil, 

 with a firm soil underneath. 



Time of Sowing. 



Sweet clover may be sowed in the winter or early spring, as above 

 stated, or at any time from March until August. It should not be seeded 

 when it is likely to start so late that it will not have time to establish it- 

 self firmly 'before winter. Under the different conditions of soil and climate 

 of this great country, it is difiicult to give general directions that will ap- 

 ply everywhere. 



The time of sowing will depend much upon the manner in which the 

 crop is to be handled. Where it is desired to sow the seed on old mead- 

 ows or pastures without plowing, it will probably be best to scatter it in 

 winter or early spring. The freezing and thawing have a tendency to 

 soften the hard coat of the seed, as well as to cover it with earth. As a 

 field crop, the writer's limited experience would indicate that spring 

 sowing, with a nurse crop that can be cut early, will be best, though win- 

 ter seeding on stubble should bring good results. 



