ARID AGRICULTURE. 



163 



NOT A 



DANGEROUS 



WEED 



Sweet clover is a biennial plant. It lives 

 only two years and the whole plant dies. Be- 

 cause of this fact good farmers need never fear 

 the plant as a weed. If not allowed to go to seed 

 the second year it will entirely disappear. We 

 recommend the planting of sweet clover on 

 grease-wood, alkali or other poor soils, letting it 

 grow only one to two feet high the second season 

 and plowing it under to increase the vegetable 

 mold and nitrogen in the soil. 



Dwarf rape is one of the valuable forage 

 plants to be grown in the West. Its use is en- 

 tirely as late fall and early winter pasture. This 

 is an alkali resistant plant of much value for 

 such portions of the farm as are unproductive 

 for other crops through the rise of alkali. Only 

 dwarf rape should be planted. Other varieties 

 have no value except for bird seed. Rape grows 

 best in the cooler portions of the year, and al- 

 though a hard frost w T ill stop its growth, it does 

 not destroy its value as feed. It may be planted 

 either broadcast or in drills, using from two to 

 four pounds of seed per acre. It is useful as a 

 catch crop to be sown in the grain field for the 

 production of pasture after the grain has been 

 harvested. As a forage it is especially valuable 

 for sheep and hogs. Cattle like and do well on 

 rape pasture. It will not do for milch cows, be- 

 cause milk and butter become tainted. The 

 dairy products will seem all right for from 



