MAY 15, 1912 



the great Brahma, does it not indicate that 

 they all came originally from one common 

 stock? Now, I know the partridges have a 

 similar code or language for their young; 

 but I am not sufficiently acquainted with 

 turkeys to know whether they use the same 



323 



or a different system. From my acquaint- 

 ance with the Indian Runner duck I feel 

 sure their method of communication is dif- 

 ferent, but it is a good deal along the same 

 line. I am going to make further investi- 

 gations. Will you help me ? 



K]D(SDflo[p[^l 



i^[^ffi)EraDra(a 



A. I. Root 



SWEET CLOVER AND OUR DEPARTMENT OF 

 AGRICULTURE. 



I am very glad indeed to note that our De- 

 partment of Agriculture has not only seen 

 fit to recognize, but has put out a bulletin. 

 No. 485, dated March 12, 1912, in regard to 

 sweet clover. It has straightened out and 

 given us so much correct information in re- 

 gard to the many eccentricities of sweet clo- 

 ver that, as I go over its pages, I feel as if I 

 should like to quote from every one of them; 

 and I hope that every one of you who have 

 been interested, and have had opinions ei- 

 ther for or against sweet clover in the past, 

 will send for this valuable bulletin. Years 

 ago Dr. Miller said it was beyond his com- 

 prehension that sweet clover should grow 

 where and when he did not expect it nor 

 want it, when it would almost refuse to 

 grow on nicely prepared soil, and this bul- 

 letin tells us why. I extract below from 

 page 12: 



It also makes an excellent growth in gravel-pits 

 and stone-quarries, but for some reason does not 

 seem to do well on unsettled cultivated soil. It 

 makes its best growth where the soil is compact, 

 and not crowded with other vegetation. 



See also below: 



KEQUIKBMENTS FOR OBTAINING A STAND OF SWEET 

 CLOVER. 



A great many farmers have noted the luxuriant 

 growth of sv.-eet clover along roadsides and in oth- 

 er uncultivated places where it grows without any 

 special atention, but have often been disappointed 

 by obtaining a very inferior stand when seeding it 

 upon cultivated land. For this reason it is neces- 

 sary to look rather closely into the requirements 

 for obtaining and maintaining a successful stand 

 of this crop. 



Also the following: 



SOILS ADAPTED TO SWEET CLOVKR. 



Almost anyreasouably well-drained soil will grow 

 sweet clover. It is more tolerant of poor drainage, 

 overflow, and seepage conditions than alfalfa or 

 red clover. In irrigated sections, especially where 

 the reservoir system is in use, large bodies of land 

 are apt to become useless for ordinary crops on ac- 

 count of the rising of the water-table in the flelds 

 near by. On such areas sweet clover has been ob- 

 served to make a very vigorous growth. 



On page 15 a reason is given for this queer 

 behavior as follows: 



PREPARATION OF A SEED-BED FOR SWEET CLOVER. 



Sweet clover requires a thoroughly compacted 

 seed-bed with just enough loose soil on top to en- 

 able the seed to be covered. The lack of a solid 

 seed-bed is probably the chief reason why sweet 

 clover so often fails when seeded upon cultivated 

 flelds. The success of the crop on poor hills from 

 which practically all the soil has been removed by 

 erosion, and on newly exposed clay areas where 

 the giound is extremely hard and compact, is thus 

 explained. One field in northern Virginia, sown 

 on a loose seed-bed, heaved out almost completely 

 In the spring of 1911. When a field which has been 

 in cultivation Is to be seeded to sweet clover it 



should be more thoroughly firmed and better set- 

 tled than if intended for other crops. Plowing, if 

 necessary, should be done several months before 

 seeding; but it is usually best to seed on ground 

 such as corn stubble that does not require plow- 

 ing, and depend on a disk, a turning and slicing 

 harrow, or a spike-tooth harrow to cover the seed. 



FERTILIZERS FOR SWEET CLOVKR. 



It is not usually necessary to apply any sort of 

 fertilizer to the ground upon whicli sweet clover is 

 to be seeded. Its success on the limestone hills, in 

 stone-quarries, etc., would seem to indicate the 

 need of lime in the soil. Its successful growth, 

 however, on soils that undoubtedly are deficient in 

 lime shows that liming may not always be necessa- 

 ry. Sweet clover will probably respond favorably 

 to the regular commercial fertilizers; but owing to 

 the ability of this crop to succeed on many poor 

 soils, especially those of limestone origin, it is 

 piobably the better practice to hold the fertilizer 

 and apply it to the cultivated or money crops 

 which follow the sweet clover. No information 

 concerning the use of fertilizers on sweet clover in 

 this country is available. 



From the above quotations you will no- 

 tice that sweet clover as a rule does not seem 

 to be suited to a loose friable soil, such as 

 other crops and other clovers require. Be- 

 low is a clipping I just found in the Nation- 

 al Stockman and Farmer: 



From time to time 1 have read in the agricultu- 

 ral press articles on sweet clover. I will give my 

 experience. In 1910 I sowed 15 pounds of the white 

 variety to the acre on a seven-acre field that had 

 been fall plowed and was limed in 1909, and was 

 given a heavy coat of manure in 1908, It was har- 

 rowed several times until about the 25th of May, 

 when the seed was sown, and covered with a spike- 

 tooth harrow. Rain came in a few days, and the 

 season was a fair growing one for grass. Well, 

 about one tenth of the seed started; but the plants 

 ■ were small, and all died before winter; but where 

 the seed fell around the edge of the field, and in 

 fence corners, the sweet clover fairly outdid itself. 

 Some of the plants grew four or five feet high. In 

 1911 a neighbor sowed 12 pounds of buckwheat, and 

 used fertilizer. The sweet clover seemed to all 

 start, and at harvest was half as high as the buck- 

 wheat; but after the grain was cut the sweet-clover 

 roots all seemed to die, and before winter were all 

 gone. 



Schuyler Co. N., Y. Stephen Kellogg. 



You will see by the above that it did not 

 seem suited at all to the soil prepared for 

 other crops; but when the seed lodged in 

 the hard soil over in the fence-corners it was 

 all right, and made an astonishing growth 

 in a very short time. On our Medina clay 

 soil M'e have much trouble in winter from 

 plants being thrown out by the frost. Straw- 

 berries especially, unless heavily mulched, 

 are likely to be clear up on top of the ground 

 before freezing and thawing is finally over. 

 Some years ago a visitor, an expert straw- 

 berry-grower, was going through our grounds 

 in thefall when the boys were hoeing out 

 the plants that had got over into the paths 

 on hard ground where there had been much 

 tramping. He suggested to me that the 



