416 



THE CLOVERS 



They are also more or less distributed through all the southern States. 

 The cultivation of burr clover has never been extensive, partly due to 

 the difficulty in harvesting the seed. The seed usually drops to the 

 ground as soon as mature. In pure cultures, the burr clover is gen- 

 erally quite prostrate and it would be difficult to harvest in such a 

 way as to save the seed. 



Burr clover grows well during the winter months, and its greatest 

 value is as a winter pasture plant or winter cover crop in the south- 



FIG. 179. Seed pods and seeds of burr clover. (Enlarged.) 



ern States. When once established, it reseeds so freely that it usually 

 maintains itself without difficulty. The seed may be sown any time, 

 but preferably in early fall. Burr clover is commonly recommended 

 to sow as a pasture plant with Bermuda grass, as the Bermuda grass 

 grows during the summer, but is dead during the winter. The burr 

 clover, however, growing through the winter, furnishes a continuous 

 pasture. The commercial supply of burr clover seed is limited at 

 present, but better methods of harvesting and cleaning the seed are 

 being developed as its use increases. 



