GREEN FORAGE AND HAY CROPS 119 



strong and not particularly pleasant odor, and is not quite as pal- 

 atable to stock as corn silage. It may, however, be considered of 

 similar feeding value as corn silage, and makes a valuable feed for 

 farmers who have difficulty in curing clover into hay on account of 

 rainy weather. Like other legumes, clover may be safely placed in 

 the silo wet with dew or rain. If it has been allowed to dry out con- 

 siderably before being siloed, water s*hould be added as it is elevated 

 into the silo or after each load is filled into the silo. 7 



Mammoth clover (Trifolium medium) is a somewhat later 

 variety than red clover, generally maturing three to five weeks later. 

 As its name suggests, it has a larger and coarser growth than red 

 clover and produces but one crop a year. It is, therefore, frequently 

 pastured for several weeks in the early spring, and will make a 

 good growth when the stock is removed. It requires a similar soil 

 and climate as red clover, and is better able to thrive under un- 

 favorable conditions than this crop on account of its stronger root 

 system and its perennial growth. It does not make as palatable 

 hay as red clover on account of its ranker habit of growth, but its 

 ability to do well on relatively poor soils and its perennial character 

 make it a valuable hay crop to the stock farmer. 



Alsike or Swedish clover (Trifolium hybridum) is grown for 

 both hay and pasture, often in mixture with red clover and timothy, 

 or with red clover only. It produces a fine, soft hay that is greatly 

 relished by stock and eaten without waste. Alsike flourishes on 

 land that is too acid or too moist for other clovers, although it will 

 not grow in really wet soils. While red clover usually dies out the 

 third year, alsike will often live for several years, a feature which 

 greatly increases its value for pasture. 8 



Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum, Fig. 18) is an annual, 

 especially valuable as a cover crop in orchards and for green manur- 

 ing. It it also used for pasture, as a soiling crop, and, to a limited 

 extent, for silage. It does not make as satisfactory hay as other 

 clovers on account of the minute barbed hairs on its blossom heads, 

 which become spiky as the heads ripen. Hay from over-ripe crimson 

 clover tends to make hair balls of compact, felt-like structure, often 

 3 to 4 inches in diameter, in the stomachs of animals, especially 

 horses, and cases are on record of animals dying as a result of eating 

 such hay. 9 The difficulty may be avoided by cutting the hay at 



7 Farmers' Bui. 323, 455; Mont. Bui. 117. 



8 White clover (Trifolium repens) is not a hay crop, being used in 

 pastures and lawns only, in mixtures with grasses. Bur clovers (Medicago 

 arabica and hispida) furnish rich, nutritious winter pasture in Southern 

 and Southwestern States (Farmers' Bui. 693). 



'Division of Botany, U. S. Dept. Agr. Cir. 8; Farmers' Bui. 550. 579. 



