176 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



early pasture. It is an annual and must be sown every year or 

 sufficient seed allowed to ripen to re-seed itself. It makes an early 

 spring growth and sufficient seed will ripen from May 1 to May 20, 

 according to location, to re-seed the land. In two years' experi- 

 ments on one of the test farms of the North Carolina State De- 

 partment of Agriculture bur clover produced sufficient growth of 

 hay to yield an average of $28.27 worth of nitrogen per acre at 

 current prices in mixed commercial fertilizers. On two plats fer- 

 tilized with the same quantities of phosphoric acid and potash, but 

 the one having grown a crop of bur clover and the other having 

 been fertilized with 120 pounds of cottonseed-meal, the bur clover 

 plot gave at the rate of 400 pounds more seed cotton per acre. At 

 4 cents a pound for seed cotton this would give an increased profit 

 of $16 per acre. The increased cost of picking, and the like, would 

 be covered by the 120 pounds of cottonseed meal used on the other 

 plot, which would leave a net profit of $16 for the crop of bur clo- 

 ver. That a heavy crop of bur clover was grown is shown by the 

 fact that nearly three tons of hay were obtained as an average of 

 two years' trials on this farm, but half that growth would yield a 

 profit sufficient to more than justify the use of this plant as a win- 

 ter cover crop on the cotton fields. 



"Its chief value as a pasture crop is in the fact that it affords 

 pasture during February and March when there is a scarcity of 

 green feed. While it is a legume, and rich in protein, it is not read- 

 ily eaten by stock except when other more palatable green feed is 

 not obtainable. It grows on a great variety of soils and will, un- 

 der proper conditions, probably do well practically throughout our 

 entire territory. Bur clover may be sown at the last working of 

 the corn or cotton crop. In fact, that is probably the best time to 

 sow it if seed in the bur is used instead of clean seed. It takes 

 the burs some time to rot and unless sown in July or August a 

 stand is not so certain. If clean seed are used, later sowing may 

 be advisable. The seed may be sown broadcast and lightly covered 

 with a cultivator at the last working. When level cultivation is 

 practiced this will be found satisfactory, but if the turn plow is 

 used in cultivating, the seed may be covered too deeply unless a 

 very large quantity is used. After the seed burs ripen they fall to 

 the ground and are usually swept up in gathering the seed. In this 

 way more or less soil and trash are gathered with the seed burs 

 and sufficient of the germs or bacteria usually adhere to the burs 



