104 PRODUCTIVE FARMING 



such as barnyard millet, pearl millet, sorghum, kaffir, or 

 even common field corn. These all serve as nurse crops 

 and allow the use of taller climbing varieties of cow peas. 

 Under most conditions the mixtures are better for the dairy 

 farmer than the cow peas alone. The mixtures usually cure 

 better if any is left to cut for hay. Splendid winter forage is 

 thus produced. 



The True Clovers. — The most important clovers of the 

 Northern States are white or Dutch clover, red clover, 

 alsike or Swedish clover, and crimson or scarlet clover. The 

 clovers are the most popular forage plants of the legume 

 family. 



White clover is a low trailing perennial plant with white 

 blossom heads. It is too low to be useful for hay, but is 

 abundantly grown in pastures. 



Red clover is more commonly grown for hay in the North 

 and East than any other legume. It lives about two years. 

 There are two varieties — the common or medium and the 

 mammoth or sapling clover. The latter is coarser and taller 

 and blossoms later. They are both often mixed with timothy 

 for hay purposes. Red clover, if grown alone, will usually 

 produce two crops of hay the year after sowing. The second 

 growth may be saved for seed production, as the bumble- 

 bees, which carry the pollen from blossom to blossom, are 

 more abundant during the latter part of the summer. 



Alsike clover is more slender and shorter than red clover. 

 It is a short-lived perennial, but it re-seeds itself in the 

 field somewhat. The blossoms are shorter and smaller, so 

 that common honey-bees will work in them and carry the 

 pollen. Thus seed may be formed in the first crop in June. 

 The hay made from alsike clover is finer and better, but the 

 yield is lighter than red clover. These two clovers are often 

 mixed together and with timothy for hay. 



Crimson clover is an annual plant which is hardy enough 

 to live over winter as far north as the fortieth parallel of 



