384 



FIELD CROPS 



pected the first should be cut when it is about 30 inches 

 high and before the flower buds have formed. A stubble 

 of 4 or 5 inches should be left. 



The delicate part of curing is to prevent the leaves from 



shattering. One should follow 

 the general directions given for 

 other clovers and alfalfa. 



Sweet clover as a silage 

 crop has been satisfactory. 



THE BUR CLOVERS 



i 516. The bur clovers are 



closely related to alfalfa, be- 

 longing to the same genus, 

 Medicago, but are annual in- 

 stead of perennial. They are 

 low-growing plants with yellow 

 flowers and prickly pods. The 

 common species are Medicago 

 maculata, or spotted medic, 

 and Medicago denticulata, or 

 toothed medic. Both species 

 grow in the South, though the 

 spotted medic is more com- 

 mon. The toothed medic is 

 grown in California.' 

 517. Use as Winter Pasture. A common practice in the 

 South is to sow bur clover on Bermuda grass pasture in the 

 fall. About the tune the Bermuda grass is killed by frost, 

 the bur clover begins to grow; in mild seasons it grows 

 throughout the winter. It furnishes good pasture during the 

 late fall and early spring months and, if allowed to produce 

 seed, will reseed itself. In this way, a permanent pasture 

 is assured. As the bur clover adds nitrogen to the soil, the 

 growth becomes heavier from year to year. 



Figure 131.— White Sweet Clover 

 plant six weeks old. Note the 

 extensive root system already de- 

 veloped. (F. B..797; 



