348 FIELD CROPS 



The seed is produced mostly in eastern Wisconsin, where 

 this plant is grown in a 2-year rotation with barley. The 

 price is usually about the same as that of red clover seed. 



ALSIKE CLOVER 



459. Alsike Clover is intermediate in appearance between 

 red and white clover, and is claimed by some to be a hybrid 

 between the two species. Its botanical name, Trifolium 

 hybridum, indicates such an origin, but botanists now gen- 

 erally agree that it is a distinct species. The plant makes 

 a slender, upright growth, which needs support to prevent 

 lodging, so that it does best in a mixture with some of the 

 grasses, as timothy or brome grass. As the stems are smooth, 

 it makes a cleaner hay than red clover. The leaves have 

 long stalks like white clover; the leaflets are somewhat larger 

 than those of white clover, as are also the heads of pink 

 flowers and the yellow or green seeds. The name alsike is 

 from the town of Syke or Alsyke in Sweden, where the plant 

 is said to have been first cultivated. Another common 

 name, Swedish clover, is from a sunilar source. 



Alsike clover is particularly adapted to wet lands^ where it 

 is often substituted for red clover. It makes hay of excel- 

 lent quaHty, but the yield is usually less than that of red 

 clover, and only one cutting can be made during the season. 

 It is less adapted to use in pastures than white clover. When 

 sown in mixtures with grasses, about 4 to 6 pounds of seed 

 is used. The hay is somewhat easier to cure than red clover 

 hay, because the stems are smaller. The plant Hves from 

 three to five years, and is, therefore, more permanent than 

 red clover. It will also endure cold better. 



CRIMSON CLOVER 



460. Crimson Clover, Trifolium incarnatum, is an annual 

 clover which is sown along the southern Atlantic coast as a 

 winter cover and green manure crop, and is also used to some 



