W123 

 (leaf 2) 



where white sweetclover was seeded in 3-foot rows, no loss occurred 

 on closely drilled plots. Coe 1 reports : "Apparently neither the 

 high temperatures of the South nor the cold winters of the North 

 severely affect the plants ? provided there is sufficient moisture in the 

 soil." It is drought-resistive * 3 and often grows satisfactorily on 

 areas too dry for alfalfa. Hulbert 7 states : "It is grown in Idaho 

 on high, dry land where the rainfall is too light to produce other 

 crops_ successfully." In sites where it is well adapted, this plant 

 often resists the invasion of other vegetation for a long time. 5 Wil- 

 loughby and Wells 8 report that., in Kansas, "it rapidly adds organic 

 matter and nitrogen to thin soils and is an excellent crop for pre- 

 venting washing on rolling land." 



The early unpopularity of white sweetclover, which caused farmers 

 to indict it as worthless, resulted from the distaste of livestock for 

 the plant, probably because of its high content of bitter coumarin. 

 This bitterness, although less pronounced when the plants are young 

 and succulent, becomes obnoxious as they mature and become more 

 woody. Livestock, however, can be taught early in the spring to 

 relish the young plants ; once the animals become accustomed to the 

 flavor of the lush foliage, they eat it with considerable avidity. 

 Chemical analyses appear to indicate that this plant may potentially 

 be as nutritious as alfalfa, either for pasturage or hay. Coe 9 reports 

 that lambs, in experimental tests, made slightly greater daily gains 

 on alfalfa. He adds : "Each year in the Middle West and Northwest 

 many cattle that bring high prices are being fed with no other rough- 

 age than sweetclover hay." Steers fattened on such pasturage cus- 

 tomarily command top prices when sold. This plant also provides 

 excellent forage for dairy cows; its regular use increases live weight 

 gains and milk flow. It is also useful as horse pasturage. Its early 

 spring growth is a particularly outstanding feature; it produces 

 good pasturage before other such crops have commenced growth. 2 10 



When cut and cured properly the forage makes a nutritious and pal- 

 atable hay. The first hay crop is leafy and relatively fine-stemmed; 

 normally, the second hay crop is rather coarse and unpalatable, 

 unless cut before the flower buds appear. 9 In nonirrigated areas, a 

 nurse crop decreases the second year's hay yield. 7 On the fertile 

 northern and western soils, where two cuttings are usually harvested 

 the second season, the first crop has yielded from iy 2 to 3 tons and 

 the second crop from three-fourths to V/2 tons per acre. 9 In many 

 places the first cutting occurs before the plants flower; the second 

 crop is then allowed to mature seed. Cropping method depends on 

 utilization and whether the plant is seeded alone or with a nurse crop. 

 Sweetclover ensilage has also gained some popularity, being fed to 

 ___^_^^^_ 



1235 See footnotes on preceding page. 



* Hulbert H W. SWEET CLOVER : GROWING AND HANDLING THE CROP IN IDAHO. Idaho 

 Agr. Expt. Sta. Bull. 147, 20 pp., illus. 1927. 



* Willoughby, L. E., and Wells, E. B. SWEET CLOVER IN KANSAS. Kan. Agr. Col. Ext. 

 Bull. 45, rev., 18 pp., illus. 1926. 



9 Coe, H. S. SWEET CLOVER : UTILIZATION. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmers' Bull. 820, 32 pp., 



10 McKee C GROWING AND USING SWEET CLOVER IN MONTANA. Mont. Agr. Expt. Sta. 

 Circ. 118, 31 pp., Illus. 1923. 



