THE HAY CROP 



147 



clover-like plants are called legumes. They are valu- 

 able because of the hay and pasture they yield and 

 because they help us to build up the land on which 

 they grow, with plant food. Most crops leave the 

 land poorer, but legumes leave it richer, at least in 

 nitrogen. 



Kind of Soil for Clover. Red clover requires a 

 good soil. Many farms are too poor to grow it. The 



Fig. 7N. I imoinij naij. 



land should be well drained, because the roots will 

 reach down five or six feet if the land is not swampy. 

 Sometimes a sprinkling of lime to sweeten the soil 

 will help a clover crop to thrive. This is true of 

 some sections of eastern Ohio, southern Indiana, and 

 Illinois. 



Ready to Cut. Clover is usually sown in the 

 spring on the winter wheat crop. It lives about two 

 years. G-lover grows two crops a year. The second 



