884 FORAGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



experiment the condition of the clover-fed steers was 

 much better." 



453. Comparative feeding value of the first and second 

 crops of hay. As the second crop of clover is but rarely 

 cut for hay, the subject of the relative value of the hay 

 of the two cuttings has received but little attention. 



At the Tennessee Experiment Station the crop of red 

 clover hay from the second cutting was found both less 

 palatable and also less nutritious to steers. Comparative 

 chemical analyses showed but very slight differences. 



454. Soiling. Red clover is an excellent green feed 

 for milch cows. German experiments show that it pro- 

 duces more milk than an equivalent amount of hay. 



Bloating seems never to occur when clover is fed in this 

 manner, but it must be neither wet with dew or rain 

 when cut, nor should it be wilted. 



The acre yields of green matter from fields of red clover 

 have been measured by several investigators. At the 

 Pennsylvania Experiment Station, the first cutting yielded 

 17,461 pounds. At the Idaho Experiment Station yields 

 of 12 tons from hill land and 18 tons from bottom were 

 secured. Three cuttings at Agassiz, B. C., in one season, 

 were, respectively, 14.5, 12.0 and 6.2 tons. At the Minne- 

 sota Experiment Station the average yield from 21 regional 

 strains at the first cutting was 20,948 pounds. 



Green feeding of clover is the usual mode of utilizing 

 in many parts of Europe. It is usually cut shortly before 

 the blossoms appear, as the nitrogen content is highest 

 at this time, and there is but little fiber. 



455. Pasturage. Red clover makes an excellent pas- 

 ture for all kinds of live stock, but care must be exercised 

 with ruminants to avoid bloating (Par. 101). As ordinarily 

 grown in rotations, the crop furnishes some pasturage in 



