410 FOE AGE PLANTS AND THEIR CULTURE 



viability as high. It will germinate in 2 to 6 days, except- 

 ing the hard seed, which is not as abundant as in red 

 clover. Any of the ordinary noxious weed seeds may 

 occur in alsike as impurities, but the most dangerous is 

 dodder. The seed retains its viability well for two years, 

 but then rapidly deteriorates. 



A bushel of seed weighs 60 to 66 pounds. One pound 

 contains 700,000 to 718,000 seeds. 



486. Value for pasturage. Alsike clover is often used, 

 in pasture mixtures for low, wet lands and the aftermath 

 of hay fields is also utilized by pasturing. It is eagerly 

 eaten by all farm animals, but with cattle and sheep the 

 same precautions must be exercised to avoid bloating as 

 with red clover and alfalfa. In closely grazed pastures, 

 the stems are commonly spreading or nearly prostrate. 



Werner states that if fed green to horses, it is very 

 laxative and results in much of the accompanying grain 

 feed being voided undigested. 



HUNGARIAN CLOVER (Trifolium pannonicum) 



487. Hungarian clover is native from northern Italy 

 to the Caucasus region of Asia Minor. It is a deep- 

 rooted, long-lived perennial having much the same general 

 habits as red clover, but the whole herbage is more hairy, 

 and the white or yellowish flowers are in large ovate heads. 



.Hungarian clover has been tested at many of the Ameri- 

 can experiment stations, and in most cases has grown quite 

 as well as red clover. It is not much cultivated in Europe, 

 largely on account of the high cost of the seed, and for the 

 same reason it has been tried only in an experimental 

 way in America. The seed can rarely be purchased for 

 less than $1 to $1.25 a pound. 



