212 



THE FORAGE AND FIBER CROPS IN AMERICA 



fine-leaved variety. The seed is often adulterated with marsh bird's-foot 

 trefoil (L. uliginosus Schk.), because it is cheaper; it has no agricultural 

 value, except on marshy or moor land. The seeds are less than one-half the 

 size by weight and are olive-green. 



Bird's-foot trefoil has become 

 naturalized in this country, espe- 

 cially in the south. 1 It is cultivated 

 somewhat widely, although perhaps 

 not extensively in Europe. 



"By itself, bird's-foot trefoil is 

 not productive, but it is very suit- 

 able, in mixture with fodder plants 

 of taller growth, for filling up the 

 spaces beneath and between them; 

 in this way, it materially adds to 

 the produce. It is suitable either 

 for cutting, or depasturing. It 

 thrives almost on any soil, and is 

 perennial. These properties render 

 bird's-foot trefoil a very valuable 

 plant for permanent pastures and 

 meadows. It is also appropriate for 

 shorter leys, where red clover does 

 not thrive. The great obstacle to 

 its cultivation is the very high price 

 of the seed." 2 



It is recommended to be sown in 

 the spring with a nurse crop at the 

 rate of 11 pounds of seed per acre. 



248. PRAIRIE BIRD'S-FOOT TREFOIL is a native annual, erect species oc- 

 curring in the High Plains region from New Mexico to North Dakota, and 

 also on the Pacific coast. "This vetch often grows two to three feet high in 

 good soils and seasons, or may not be more than a few inches high during 

 dry seasons or on sterile soils, but it roots deeply and is well adapted to its 

 native prairies. The seed may be had for the gathering, and need not cost 

 any more than clover or alfalfa, if the trouble is taken to run the chaff 

 through a fanning mill." 3 



Florida beggar weed; the young plant 



249. SQUARE POD PEA is a much-branched, ascending annual, native to 

 southern Europe. The California Station produced on two plats yields at the 

 rate of 24 and 26 tons of green material, equivalent to four or five tons of 



iU. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Agros. Bui. No. 2 (Revised), p. 40. 



2Stebler and Schroter: The Best Forage Plants, p. 161. 



*U. S. Dept. Agr., Div. Agros. Bui. No. 2 (Revised), p. 40, 1900. 



