Deckmi'.kr, 1922 



GLEANINGS IN B lO K * U I> T U R E 



763 



Spumes. These arc referred to in the Iowa 

 circular No. 7G. 



Advantages for Fall Plowing. 

 Owing to the impracticability of plowing 

 biennial sweet clover under in tlie fall and 

 the necessity of leaving the second year's 

 spring growth to make a large growth before 

 plowing under in order to destroy thorough- 

 ly all the plants, and eliminate the volun- 

 teer trouble, whicli brings plowing close up 

 to corn-planting time, Hubam, which should 

 be turned under in the fall when the bloom 

 lias blown and the seed pods are all green, 

 is sure to become the universally used and 

 foremost of legumes adapted to almost all 

 climates and soils. 



Roots Over Five Feet Long. 

 Owing to its deeit-rooting system, in proof 

 of which I am enclosing a picture, this le- 

 gume, which gets its nitrogen from the air 

 and deposits it in the soil instead of taking 

 it from the soil, bids fair to become the 

 universal soil-builder. When we can con- 

 vince those objectors who still believe sweet 

 clover to be an obnoxious weed, and over- 

 come their prejudice against it, pointing 

 out that their land is sour and depleted and 

 that they are not getting as large crops as 



their neighbors 

 who have been 

 planting clovers 

 and rotating 

 crops, we shall 

 begin to get our 

 farms back to 

 the fertility they 

 posses sed 100 

 years ago. 



This root was 

 dug up from a 

 field of Hubam 

 sown broadcast 

 late last spring 

 alone. Another 

 root was dug up 

 in a field of Hu- 

 b a m following 

 \vinter rye, the 

 root measuring 

 52 inches. We 

 did not get all 

 of either of the 

 roots. 



Tlie opinion 

 that Hubam does 

 not root as large 

 and deep as the 

 biennial m a y 

 never be en- 

 tirely expelled, 

 but many are 

 taking a differ- 

 ent view on this 

 s u b j e c t after 

 looking at some 

 of the roots that 

 „ , ^ , XT I '^^^^''■e <iug up this 



Root system of Hubam „ ,, o i 



measuring 62 Vo inches^ rail. 



in length. Tlie agitation 



for the growing of llub.-iiii, Ihc ultimate 

 purpose being soil-enricliment, has led men 

 to realize more than ever before the neces- 

 sity of some such legume as llubam for the 

 maintenance of the fertility of our soils. 



Beekeepers should not overlook the ad- 

 visability of inducing farmers in their lo- 

 cality to plant alsikc clover also. Will 

 County is one of the two counties in this 

 st;ite that together produce approximately 

 SO per cent of the alsike seed raised in this 



Hulling Hubam. Thu bonL-N b.-,. ,. il,v ii - .t im- 

 portant pollinator of sweet clover and is there- 

 fore an e.ssential factor in seed production. 



state. Farmers near my apiaries have har- 

 vested as high as .$96 per acre of alsike 

 seed. 



It is also Avell to keep in touch with the 

 yields made near your bees, in order to in- 

 form prospective growers, and also, if at 

 all possible, to furnish bees in that locality 

 to pollinate the bloom. One should also keep 

 in touch with those who have seed to sell. 



Alsike, of course, cannot be compared fa- 

 vorably with Hubam as a soil-builder on 

 account of its short-rooting system, but it 

 is of great value as an early honey plant 

 where white clover is scarce. There is no 

 bloat with Hubam or with alfalfa and other 

 legumes. Stock take to it readily. 



I had a field of Hubam this year seeded in 

 oats. After the oats were harvested a good 

 crop of Hubam seed was harvested, and, 

 had the farmer wished to cut the Hubam the 

 second time instead of plowing it under, a 

 crop of Hubam hay of approximately 1^/^ to 

 2 tons per acre could have been harvested. 

 Such fields will be very rare and are due 

 entirelv to the type of soil and early plant- 

 ing. This field was planted on April 19. 



Many farmers have disced up their Hu- 

 bam stubble and drilled in winter wheat, 

 others have drilled it in without discing. 

 Enough Hubam seed had shattered off to 

 insure a thick stand of Hubam following 

 their winter grain next summer. 



Value of Sweet Clover Silage and Straw. 



The following table, taken from Farmers' 

 Bulletin No. S20, will give some idea as to 

 tlie valu;ition of the sweet clover straw 

 piles: 



From this it will be seen that sweet clover 

 compares favorably in food elements with 

 corn silage. Tlie straw, of course, contains 

 less protein and carbohydrates than when 



