LEGUMINOUS FORAGE CROPS 



is about three times the length of the calyx while in white 



clover it is about twice the length of the calyx. The flowers 



are borne on slender pedicels one-twelfth to one-sixth of an 



inch long instead of being sessile as in red clover, and, as they 



mature, become reflexed 



or turned down so that 



the upper and lower part 



of the head during the 



maturing period are sep- 



arate. The pod, a thin> 



walled elongated legume, 



is one to four, usually 



two to three, seeded and 



has a persistent style. 



Ripened flowers readily Alsike clover on the left; red clover on the right. 



fall from the plant, hence Taken at Corne11 J 28 ' One - fourth 



care is required in hand- 



ling the crop for seed. Threshing is less difficult than with red 

 clover, but the crop must be cured thoroughly, else seeds will 

 be crushed in threshing. 



178. Value. Alsike clover may be grown for hay or for 

 pasture. For hay it is chiefly valuable for growing on those 

 soils where red clover does not grow readily, or for growing 

 under those climatic conditions where red clover is easily killed. 

 In many sections a mixture of red and alsike clover with or 

 without timothy is desirable. The alsike clover does not retard 

 the red clover greatly and when the latter fails to grow or is 

 killed the alsike develops more freely and in a measure takes 

 its place. The first crop of alsike clover matures about the 

 same time as red clover; the second crop is comparatively small. 

 The seeds are formed in the first crop. It bears seed abundantly, 

 and in some sections it is considered especially desirable for 

 this purpose. No direct experiments with regard to the relation 

 of insects to pollination have been made, although the flower 



