FORAGE AND SOILING CROPB ; : , ; lOh 



blossom at the same time. However, its coarser stems do not 

 make such fine hay and generally but one cutting can be secured. 



Alsike clover. — This is a thin-stemmed, leafy perennial, 

 having flowers much like those of the white clover. "While it is 

 shallow-rooted, it resists drought about as Avell as the red clover, 

 and has a Avider range, for it does not winter-kill as easily and 

 Avill endure more heat. It will thrive on soils too Avet and too 

 sour for red clover and therefore is valuable wherever red clover 

 no longer will thrive and on wet fields. This fact also makes it a 

 valuable addition to grass mixtures. 



Seed and seeding. — The seeds of alsike clover are small, and 

 five to eight pounds per acre are sufficient when seeded alone, 

 while in mixtures two to three pounds will suffice. With red top 

 it makes a good mixture for wet soils. 



Alsike clover can be seeded and the crop treated in much the 

 same way as red clover. Its blossoming period comes later and 

 it retains its good equalities longer without deterioration. The 

 yield on the average is smaller than that of red clover. 



White clover. — This clover resembles alsike, having slender 

 stems, similar flowers and being a perennial. The stems, how- 

 ever, creep along the ground and produce roots at every joint, 

 and in the course of time a single plant will occupy a consider- 

 able area. This habit of growth makes it of little value as a 

 hay plant but makes it an excellent addition to mixtures for 

 pastures or laA^^lS. It is able to maintain itself not only by the 

 fact that its creeping stems are producing new plants, but that 

 it is able to reseed itself under pasture conditions by its short 

 heads dropping seed from time to time. Some of these seeds 

 are "hard" and do not germinate for a number of years. The 

 seed are about the same size as those of the alsike, and two to 

 three pounds per acre for pastures, and twice that much for 

 lawn mixtures will be enough. 



Crimson clover. — This clover, as its name indicates, has a con- 

 sjiicuous crimson head. In the region where it is most commonly 

 grown, which is along the Atlantic coast from New Jersey south- 

 ward and in many parts of the cotton belt, it is a winter annual. 

 In this region it is grown principally as a green manure, being 

 sown after an early crop such as potatoes, or in the standing 

 corn, and then plowed down the following spring. 



When used for hay it should be cut before the flower heads 

 develop. These heads are covered with hard, stiff hairs, and if 

 found in the hay are apt to cause trouble in the intestines of 

 the horses. 



