JUNE 15, 1914 



463 



Roots of sweet clover. Note tlie "fat" flesliy roots, also the nodules in clusters. 



was growing vigorously. In September it 

 had reached a height of four feet, and the 

 stems were as fine as alfalfa, as, indeed, 

 they always are the first year. One natu- 

 rally would have thought that the farmers 

 would have noticed the contrast, and have 

 given the sweet clover a trial; and yet, even 

 though I called their attention to the matter 

 at the time, and also later, no one was wise 

 enough to experiment with this great l?g- 

 ume. 



I have called atten- 

 tion to the matter 

 manj' times since, and 

 have offered seed free 

 to all who would give 

 it a trial. So far not 

 one farmer has shown 

 an inclination to in- 

 vestigate the value of 

 sweet clover for hay, 

 although three have 

 gfiven it a test for pigs, 

 and recommend 

 it highly. 



During all this time 

 I had put in the hands 

 of the farmers articles 

 from farm papers, 

 showing up the value 

 of sweet clover; copies 

 of The A. I. Root Co.'s 

 booklet, "The Truth 

 about Sweet Clover," 

 were distributed, re- 



turned to me, and re- 

 distributed, but with- 

 out results. The farm- 

 ers thought, and still 

 think, that that book- 

 let is issued by a firm 

 interested in honey, 

 and, knowing that the 

 sweet clover is a good 

 honey-plant, have con- 

 cluded that the Root 

 Co. has an ax to grind. 

 A year or so ago I 

 secured from the Unit- 

 ed States Department 

 of Agriculture a copy 

 of the bulletin on 

 sweet clover, and let 

 several farmers read 

 it. One farmer who 

 had read " The Truth 

 about Sweet Clover," 

 without being impress- 

 ed, asked me for seed 

 as soon as he had read 

 the bulletin above 

 mentioned. He has now tried it for pigs, 

 and recommends it to others. But it is still 

 impossible to find any one who will raise 

 even a small patch of hay. Some say the 

 stems are too coarse, others that the hay can 

 not be properly cured, although they have 

 never tried it. One farmer is inclined to 

 look favorably upon sweet clover for the 

 silo, but on this point I could give no in- 

 formation. 7^bove all, there is still a great 



V close view of nitrogen-bearing nodules in clusters on roots of sweet clover, 



