GRASS AND BAY 75 



what richer pound for pound than the ordinary red clover, but only 

 one crop is procurable and this is not generally as heavy as even the 

 first crop usually produced by the ordinary red clover. It is hardier 

 than either the Mammoth or ordinary clover, but lodges worse than 

 either. For this reason it is usually best to seed it in mixture either 

 with ordinary red clover or with orchard grass to prevent its lodging. 

 In some sections where red clover is no longer grown successfully the 

 farmers have been forced to adopt the alsike. The continuous use 

 of pure alsike clover either as pasture or as hay has a tendency to 

 produce sores on both horses and mules. 



Crimson Clcrver. Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum) is 

 especially adapted as a cover crop and for green manure in the 

 Atlantic States. It is easily recognized by its scarlet blooms. It is 

 seeded in August either alone or in corn. Its special advantage lies 

 in that its autumn, winter, and early-spring growth is sufficient 

 so that it may be turned under in the spring following the seeding 

 in time for another crop, such as corn or even cotton, in the South 

 Atlantic States. It is also valuable for pasturing, soiling, or for 

 ensilage, coming at a time when other green feed is scarce. One 

 disadvantage in feeding the hay if cut when overripe is the tendency 

 of the hairs, which are numerous on parts of the plant, to form 

 hair balls in the alimentary tract of horses. 



Shaftal Clover. Shaftal clover (Trifolium suaveolens) has re- 

 cently been obtained from Persia and is not yet on the market in 

 commercial quantities. It is usually seeded in the fall and is some- 

 what similar to crimson clover in its requirements and growth. The 

 seed is as yet very expensive. Moreover it lodges badly and is diffi- 

 cult to cure. These disadvantages handicap its more extensive produc- 

 tion. Ordinarily this clover is a winter annual, maturing seed and 

 dying the first summer after seeding; but a perennial strain is 

 reported as growing in northern India. 



So-Called Clovers; Sweet Clover. Sweet clover (Melilotus alba) 

 is often regarded as of little or no value as a forage crop on account 

 of its bitter taste; but stock may acquire a taste for it, and then it 

 proves a very satisfactory feed. It will grow on clay hills, on sandy 

 stretches in the clover section, and also makes a satisfactory growth 

 in sections where it is too dry to grow red clover. It is a biennial, 

 living only two years, being similar in this respect to red clover. 

 A permanent stand may be maintained by dividing the pasture and 

 alternately grazing and mowing the two halves. 



Lespedeza, or Japan Clover. Lespedeza (Lespedeza striata) is 

 distinctly a southern plant and makes very small growth north of 

 the latitude of Virginia. In the extreme Southern States it makes 

 a growth comparable with the true clovers and is a useful plant to 

 supplement the winter-growing clovers which do not thrive in the 

 hot summer months as does lespedeza. 



Mexican Clover. Mexican clover (Richardsonia scabra) is not 

 a true clover nor even a legume. It occurs principally along the 

 Gulf coast in the Southern States. It grows spontaneously after cul- 



