92 CLOVERS 



so highly as blue grass, when the latter is tender and 

 succulent. No plant is equally suitable in providing 

 pasture for swine, unless it be alfalfa; hence, for 

 that class of stock, it has come to be the staple pas- 

 ture outside of areas where alfalfa may be readily 

 grown. When desired, the grazing may begin even 

 at a reasonably early stage in the growth of the 

 plants, and it may continue to the end of the pas- 

 turing season. 



Usually it is considered unwise to pasture medium 

 red clover the same season in which it has been 

 sown when sown with a nurse crop. It has been 

 noticed that when so pastured, it does not winter 

 so well, and that the later and more close the pas- 

 turing and the colder the winter following, the 

 greater is the hazard from pasturing the clover. 

 This hazard arises chiefly from the exposure of the 

 roots to the sweep of the cold winds. It should be 

 the rule, therefore, not only to refrain from pas- 

 turing clover thus, but also to leave the stubbles 

 high when pasturing the grain. Where the snow- 

 fall is light and the cold is intense, to leave the stub- 

 bles thus high is important, since they aid in holding 

 the snow. But there may be instances when the 

 clover plants grow so vigorously that in places of 

 heavy snowfall, smothering may result unless the 

 mass of vegetation is in some way removed. In 

 such instances, pasturing may be in order ; but when 

 practised, the grazing should be with cattle rather 

 than sheep or horses, and it should cease before the 

 covering is removed. There may also be locations 

 where much benefit follows in several ways close, or 



