166 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



Diseases of Red Clover. "Clover-sick" lands in Eu- 

 rope are found sometimes to be afflicted with a fungus 

 which, attacking the clover, is sufficient to destroy it. I 

 have not known of the presence of this disease in America. 

 Clover-sick lands in America are commonly deficient only 

 in lime, phosphorus and vegetable matter, or else are 

 poorly drained, though I have known lands to refuse to 

 grow the plant till potassium had been applied. Thorne 

 found at the Ohio Experiment Station that liming cured 

 soils that would not grow red clover. In Tennessee is 

 found anthracnose attacking red clover and alfalfa, but 

 doing no damage to alsike clover. Anthracnose is a 

 fungus attacking stems and leaves and causing "clover- 

 wilt." Diligent search revealed growing in the state 

 many immune plants which were collected in nursery and 

 propagated at the Tennessee station, from which it is 

 hoped enough seed may be secured to restore the clover- 

 fields of the state. In the meantime, alsike clover is being 

 sown as a substitute for the familiar red, in which use it 

 is fairly successful. 



Alsike Clover (Trifoliuni hybridum). Alsike clover 

 has a curious resemblance to both red and little white 

 clovers, and is sometimes called a hybrid, though there is 

 no proof that it is so. It has in part the recumbent habit 

 of growth of little white clover, but is much larger and 

 makes more hay. It is a smaller-growing species than 

 red clover and yet it will in certain soils make more hay. 

 It is able to endure w r etter soils than red clover, and is not 

 so hungry for lime. Thus it finds certain ranges of soil 

 and situations on which it is a better clover than any 



