228 FORAGE CROPS. 



As a pasture plant it is not the equal of white clover 

 (Trifolium repens), but it may be able to grow in 

 some situations where white clover will not succeed. 

 The seed of yellow clover is relatively cheap, 

 hence to add one or two pounds of the seed per acre 

 to a mixture to be sown for permanent pasture will 

 not add much to the whole cost of the seed. When 

 sown alone, from three to five pounds of seed would 

 probably be ample. But it should only be thus sown 

 to provide seed. The seed may be sown by hand or 

 with some form of hand seeder, and covered with a 

 light harrow or a roller, according to the character 

 of the soil. When not sown to provide seed it ought 

 to be made a part of a grass mixture rather than 

 the sole crop. In such instances one to two pounds 

 of seed per acre should suffice. 



JAPAN CLOVER. 



Japan clover (Lespedeza striata) is growing in 

 favor in the south. It is said to have been first intro- 

 duced into the United States from China, and has 

 become prominent since the time of the civil war. It 

 would seem to be adapted only to southern condi- 

 tions and will probably never have a place among 

 the pasture crops of the northern half of the United 

 States or in Canada. It has been grown with no 

 little success in all, or nearly all, the Gulf states. 



Japan clover is a low growing annual. On 

 lands low in fertility it can only grow to the hight 

 of a few inches, but on rich soils otherwise suitable 

 it sometimes reaches the hight of sixteen inches or 

 more. The leaves are triplicate. The flowers are 

 numerous and blue in color. The plants produce 



