forage crop; but as a catch or cover crop it may pos- 

 sibly become of some moment. It should be stated 

 that it affords excellent pasturage for bees. 



SWEET CLOVER AS A FORERUNNER OF OTHER VEGETATION. 



We have sweet clover growing in abundance on our road- 

 sides here, but I have not observed any instance where it is 

 growing to any extent in cultivated fields. When I was a 

 boy our roadsides were covered with many weeds. They 

 were generally pastured down into the ground with sheep 

 and cattle. Later, ragweed grew abundantly. Some 12 or 

 lo years ago sweet clover commenced to grow in patches. 

 It was undoubtedly distributed over wide extents of terri- 

 tory by the wheels of vehicles and not by any hand-sowing. 

 Now I notice this : Where the clover has grown thick for a 

 few years it seems to die out and give place to our natural 

 bluegrass. In other words, our friend the sweet clover 

 (melilotus) has perfo<rmed its mission that of growing 

 upon and enriching an otherwise barren soil, leaving its 

 legacy, the nitrogen nodules, which are said to be the same 

 as on alfalfa. Who would not rather drive along a road with 

 the perfume of the sweet clover coming to him from both 

 sides than the hay-f ever-promoting ragweed pollen? 



Lenawee Co., Mich. ABNER WILSON. 



YELLOW SWEET CLOVER SOWN IN NOVEMBER, AND IN FULL 

 BLOOM THE FOLLOWING JUNE. 



June 14, 1909, Mr. Philip Bohley, a man in our employ, 

 brought me a stalk of yellow sweet clover 5 ft. tall, covered 

 with bloom. He said the plant came from seed that he 

 sprinkled along the roadside in November the fall before. 

 He did not notice whether the seed came up in the fall or 

 not. All he could say was that there was no sweet clover 

 in that place the year before. The circumstance was so 

 remarkable that myself and Ernest took a trip there to see 

 it ; and the picture adjoining is supposed to be myself stand- 

 ing among the sweet-clover plants. I took off my fur cap 

 and donned Ernest's hat, and that is one reason why I do 

 not look natural. 



The matter was mentioned in GLEANINGS for July 1, 1909, 

 page 418, and I then inquired if anybody else had secured 

 a successful stand of sweet clover, either white or yellow, 

 when the seed was sown as late as November. Several let- 

 ters informed us that the same thing had been done by 

 sowing the seed in August and September, but none as late 

 as November. Mr. Bohley says the horses grab for it every 

 time they go past it. Remember this seed was not in culti- 

 vated soil, nor had any effort been made to cover the seed 

 in any way. It was just scattered along the roadside ad- 

 Joining his' own premises. If this thing can be duplicated 

 it would seem to indicate that yellow sweet clover will fur- 

 nish a large amount of good food for stock, or for plowing 

 under, in a shorter time than any other legume or anything 



June, 1910. A. I. ROOT. 



95 



