<JUl/rUKl<<. 45 



pratensis\ with the introduction of lawn grasses into the 

 villages, and from this it spread with the blue grass in all 

 directions following naturally the main traveled roads, and. 

 especially the ridge roads that meandered over the unbroken* 

 prairie. We have usually observed blue grass gaining a foot- 

 hold, where the prairie grass had been tramped out, three or 

 four years in advance of the^ white clover; and after the white 

 clover had become established in connection with the blue 

 grass, it always retains its footing. These two grasses seem 

 to be united by a marriage bond stronger than that of squire 

 or clergy, and one which no court has sufficient jurisdiction to- 

 dissolve. There are two obvious reasons for this close and inti- 

 mate relation between blue grass and white clover. The blue 

 grass needs the white clover to supply it with nitrogen which 

 it requires in large quantities, and the period of growth of 

 each is such that neither interferes seriously with the other. 

 The blue grass has thrown up heads and blossoms and its 

 seed is well on the way to maturity before the white clover 

 is ready to make its push for the occupancy of the ground.- 

 The latter then has the field mostly to itself until the blue 

 grass is ready to make its fall growth, hence, in mid-summer 

 farmers sometimes claim that the white clover has taken the 

 blue grass and ar* disposed to mourn over the fact. An 

 examination of the same field in the fall will show that blue 

 grass occupies the ground almost wholly and they are dis- 

 posed to wonder where the white clover has gone. It is for 

 these two reasons that these plants are found inseparable ia 

 the permanent pasture. 



The place for white clover is in the permanent pastures 

 It should never be sown in any pasture that is not intended 

 to remain undisturbed for three years or more, and it should 

 be as far as possible carefully excluded from all meadows and 

 from lands intended for rotation of five years or less. The 

 reason need scarcely be stated. If sown on lands that are 

 intended for meadows, it will very soon crowd out timothy and 

 the larger clovers, and thus greatly reduce the yield of forage^ 

 It is liable to spring up every year in lands cultivated in corm 

 or other tillage crops, and hence becomes a weed, compara- 

 tively harmless, but at the same time useless, while the 

 amount of nitrogen it may supply in its brief life as a weed 

 among cultivated crops is not worth mentioning. 



Like most other good things, and we might add good 

 people, it has its faults. In the earlier part of the sea- 

 son cattle take the larger clovers and other cultivated grasses 



