234 FEEDS AND FEEDING 



only is it palatable and much relished, but it is high in protein and 

 lime. Where well-cured clover hay furnishes one-half or more of the 

 roughage, the dairyman is able, to cut the allowance of concentrates and 

 materially reduce the cost of the ration. (614) This roughage has 

 the same high place for feeding breeding ewes or beef breeding cows, and 

 especially for young animals. (692, 788, 797-9) Early-cut clover hay 

 ranks next to alfalfa for swine, being especially valuable for breeding 

 stock. (1011) The feeding value of mixed clover and timothy hay of 

 course depends on the proportion of each hay present. 



348. Clover for pasture, soilage, and silage. Clover pasture is helpful 

 and important for all farm animals. For pigs it furnishes about suf- 

 ficient food for maintenance, so that all the grain fed goes for gain. 

 Clover-pastured pigs are healthy and have good bone and constitution 

 points of special importance with breeding stock. (986) Tho there is 

 somewhat less danger from bloat with clover than alfalfa, cattle and 

 sheep should not be turned on clover pasture for the first time while 

 hungry or before the dew has risen. As a preventive, dry forage, such 

 as hay or straw, should be placed in feed racks in the pasture. To 

 these cattle and sheep will resort instinctively when bloat threatens. 



Clover is particularly valuable for soilage, ranking next to alfalfa 

 among legumes available for that purpose. By cutting clover early, 

 it at once starts growth again if the weather is favorable, and will 

 furnish three or four cuttings annually. Clover may be ensiled if the 

 same precautions are taken as with alfalfa. (342) Ensiling clover is, 

 however, advisable only where the weather prevents its being cured into 

 good hay or where other suitable silage crops can not be grown. (634) 



III. OTHER CLOVERS AND LEGUMINOUS FORAGE PLANTS 



349. Mammoth clover, Trifolium medium. The distinctive character- 

 istics of mammoth clover are its rank growth, coarse stems, and blooming 

 2 or 3 weeks later than the medium variety. It usually lives 3 years 

 or more and thrives better on poor or sandy soil than does medium red 

 clover. Since it yields but a single cutting during the season, this 

 clover is frequently pastured for several weeks in the early spring. 

 After the stock are removed, the plants shoot up and are soon ready for 

 the mower. Owing to its coarser growth the hay is more difficult to 

 cure and somewhat less palatable than red clover. Wallace 23 recom- 

 mends that for pasture medium and mammoth clover seed be sown in 

 equal proportions, together with grasses, holding that since mammoth 

 clover blooms later there is more nearly a succession of good forage than 

 is possible with only one variety. 



350. Alsike clover, Trifolium hybridum. This variety of clover, once 

 supposed to be a cross between red clover and white clover, has weak 

 stems which fall to the ground unless supported by attendant grasses. 



23 Clover Culture. 



