250 AMERICAN HONEY PLANTS 



There is a great diversity of opinion as to the proper amount of seed 

 to sow. Where it is used to thicken up meadows or pastures a smaller 

 amount is needed 'than where sown as a field crop on newly prepared land. 

 Some growers say that 4 pounds of good unhulled seed per acre is suffi- 

 cient to sow on grass lands. As high as 20 pounds of hulled seed per acre 

 is advocated by some for a field crop. The seed covering is very hard, and, 

 unless treated, only about half of it will grow the first year. If the seed 

 is scarified, the hard coat is scratched until it germinates readily, and 

 much less seed is necessary to secure a stand than otherwise. Ten pounds 

 of hulled and scarified seed per acre should be sufficient on good land. 



It is often difficult to get a stand on old land which is deficient in 

 lime, for lack of the nitrogen-gathering bacteria that thrive on the roots 

 of clovers. It is sometimes necessary to treat a small area with a good 

 coat of manure, and sometimes with crushed lime. After the sweet clover 

 is growing well on this land the area can be gradually extended. 



Utilizing the Crop. 



Probably there is no forage crop which will furnish as much pasture 

 per acre as will sweet clover in its second year of growth. It should be al- 

 lowed to get a good start in spring before stock is turned in, and the area 

 should be sufficiently large for the animals thus kept. Cattle, hogs and 

 horses all eat it with relish after 'they become familiar with it, and thrive 

 equally on it. It is a common practice to pasture the crop during the first 

 part of the second season and then to turn the stock off and harvest a 

 seed crop. The writer has harvested a very good crop of seed from a lim- 

 ited area, which was pastured lightly through the entire summer until the 

 crop was cut. Of course, it is not possible to pasture heavily after mid- 

 summer, and still secure a good crop of seed. 



Sweet clover makes a good quality of hay if cut at the proper time and 

 well cured. If a seed crop is to be cut, the first crop of the second season 

 may be cured for hay by cuttting high enough to leave some of the small 

 branches on the lower part of the stem. If cut too low at this time the 

 plants will die. Sweet clover hay requires more time to cure properly 

 than the clovers with small stems, but if piled in small cocks it is little 

 damaged, even though some rain falls on is. If properly cured it makes a 

 very good winter feed. When cut for hay it should be mown before it be- 

 gins to bloom to any extent. When it is about two feet high is =the right 

 time. The first year it may be cut at almost any time the grower finds 

 convenient. 



Some practice sowing sweet clover with early oats, cutting the oats 

 v/ith a high stubble and later getting a crop of hay. 

 Saving the Seed. 



The seed crop sometimes fails because the plants are too thick on the 

 ground. They spread or branch widely as they grow, and where they are 

 too thick the blossoms may drop off without setting a full crop of seed. 

 Usually best results are obtained where a first crop is cut for hay or is 

 pastured until mid-summer. The second crop does not grow as high as 

 the first would do if permitted to seed, thus making it easier to handle. 



