anywhere. When found in meadow lands it appears not to 

 occur except when the ground has been tramped by stock 

 when wet. It grows by preference in old brick-yards. It 

 may be grown in fields by proper tillage. 



The character of sweet clover may be now determined. 

 Viewing it in no other light we thus see that sweet clover 

 grows luxuriantly in places where few or no other plants 

 flourish. But it belongs to the great class of leguminous 

 plants, which are capable, by the aid of other organisms, of 

 fixing atmospheric nitrogen and storing it in the plant- 

 tissues. It belongs with the clovers, and it may thus be used 

 to improve the land upon which it grows, and this appears 

 to be its mission. It occupies lands that have become un- 

 fitted for good growth of other forage-plants. Its ranks, 

 then, is as a useful plant, capable of increasing fertility of 

 land. 



How shall sweet clover be treated? 



The character determined, the treatment to be accorded 

 this clover-plant is really settled. The plant is the 

 farmer's friend, to be utilized and not to be outlawed. The 

 plant grows and spreads rapidly. So do red clover, white 

 clover, timothy, blue grass, and other forage-plants ; but 

 sweet clover grows where they do not ; it indicates lack of 

 condition for the others. Viewed in this way it is to be 

 treated as preparing unfitted lands for other crops. 



It may be mown a short time before coming into bloom , 

 and cured for hay. Stock will thrive upon it if confined to 

 it until accustomed to it. The roadsides, if taken when free 

 from dust, may be made almost as profitable as any other 

 area in clover by cutting the sweet clover and *uring for hay. 

 If this is regularly attended to while stock is kept from 

 other lands that it invades, sweet clover will be found doing 

 always the good work for which it is adapted. 



ITS HABIT OF GROWING ON POOR SOILS. 



Several years ago the B. & 0. R. R. opened a gravel-pit 

 at Belpre, O., for ballasting the track and constructing fills. 

 Sweet clover first made its appearance in this region, so far 

 as my observation goes, on the fill forming the approach to 

 the Parkersburg bridge. This fill was made of gravel taken 

 from the Belpre gravel-pit. 



Last week as I passed by this pit, now thirty feet deep, 

 I noticed sweet clover growing as thick as it could stand in 

 the bottom. This gravel deposit is of combined glacial and 

 alluvial origin with an occasional true boulder, brought down 

 by the river from the glaciated part of the State. Was the 

 seed deposited with the gravel ? Dana, in his geology, speaks 

 of plants growing from sand taken from the bottom of a 

 well dug a few miles from the seacoast. There were no 

 plants of the variety growing near the well, but they were 

 found growing on the seashore. No doubt the well had 

 tapped soil which at one time had formed the sea-beach. 



[The above was sent us May 1, 1902, in the shape 

 of a newspaper clipping, so we can not tell what 



