148 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 154, 



Alfalfa compared with Clovers. 

 Longer Lived. — Alfalfa is a perennial, while individual plants 

 of the red and alsike clovers, as a rule, live but two years. In 

 regions without excessive rainfall, and in soils richly stocked 

 with lime and thoroughly well drained, a stand of alfalfa is 

 more permanent than a stand of clover under conditions ex- 

 isting in Massachusetts, but in this connection it is important 

 to recognize two facts : — 



1. That alfalfa in our soils and in our climate is much less 

 permanent than in the west.^ Experience everywhere indicates 

 that the probability is that alfalfa will be gradually crowded 

 out here by perennial grasses and clovers, most prominent 

 among which are the Kentucky blue grass and white clover. 



2. That it is possible to retain red and alsike clovers in 

 permanent mowings without reseeding, provided a suitable sys- 

 tem of top-dressing is followed. 



Relative Yield. — Alfalfa grows more rapidly in early spring 

 than either red or alsike clover, and starts more quickly after 

 cutting, and accordingly it may usually be counted upon to 

 give three crops during the season, whereas clover will usually 

 give but two. The first cut of alfalfa is generally superior 

 to either of the others. The total yield on good soils is likely 

 to range from about 3 to 5 tons per acre of well-cured hay 

 in the three cuttings, while red or alsike clovers on similar 

 soils are likely to give about one-quarter less total yield in 

 two cuttings. 



Finer Stems. — The stem of the alfalfa plant is relatively 

 finer than that of the red clover. It accordingly cures more 

 rapidly and is usually more palatable, and is consumed with 

 less waste than the coarser red or mammoth clover. 



Nutritive I'alue. — It is popularly supposed, and quite gen- 

 erally stated, that alfalfa is much superior in nutriti\e value 

 to clovers, but so far as can be determined by chemical analyses 

 made in this station, and determinations of digestibility which 

 have been made here in the department of plant and animal 

 chemistry and in other stations, this does not appear to be the 

 case. 



1 The v\ inter of 1913-14 has proved very destructive (see p. 170). 



