24 TEXAS STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



of the country. Since East Texas has begun to incorporate its county 

 seats and prevent cows, horses, hogs, sheep and goats from running on 

 the streets it has made wonderful progress. For about fifty years it 

 has grown in Henderson, but not until this year (1914) have the citi- 

 zens taken notice of it. Henderson has prohibited live stock from for- 

 aging on its principal streets for two or three years, and in that short 

 time Bur clover lias literally covered many alleys, spread over 

 some of the streets, taken possession of vacant lots, and is rapidly cov- 

 ering an old Bermuda pasture near the city. It grows on the poorest 

 soil, clay and sandy, and so luxuriant has it become that the most 

 casual and indifferent observer has looked upon it with astonishment, 

 and many, no doubt, with fear and dread, believing that it may, like 

 Bermuda, be an enemy to cotton. It seems to thrive best on the Ber- 

 muda soil. In places the vines are nearly or quite three feet in length. 



Rescue has had to fight the town cow also for about the same period 

 that Bur clover has, and has only attracted the public eye since that 

 animal was forbidden to find her living on the streets and alleys. 



Dr. 0. M. Ball, Professor of Biology in the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College of Texas, has written an interesting book on "Farm 

 Seeds and Plants," from which I take the liberty of copying what he 

 says about Bur clover, Bermuda and Rescue grasses, as follows : 



"Bur clover (Meclicago denticulata), like the Japan clover, is of 

 incalculable value to farmers in the southern parts of the Gulf and 

 Atlantic States. A very nearly related and quite as important species 

 is the spotted Bur clover (Medicago maculata). The latter is recom- 

 mended especially for the light and sandy soils of the pine lands. Both 

 species are sensitive to frost and will be killed by temperatures of 23 

 or 24 degrees, though suffering but little injury from lisrht frosts. 



"Common Bur clover, is an annual, recumbent, or, when crowded, 

 more or less erect, sometimes creeping, much branched plant. The 

 leaves are trifoliate and the leaflets ovate or obovate, with denticulate 

 margins. The flowers are yellow and are not collected in heads. The 

 seeds are borne in twisted pods, there being one or two turns in each 

 pod. The seeds are, kidney shaped, light yellow or brown, somewhat 

 larger than and strongly resembling alfalfa seed, which they have fre- 

 quently been used to adulterate. The plant is said to be a native of 

 the west coast of South America and to have been introduced into 

 Europe by means of the burs clinging to wool exported from that coun- 

 try. The thrifty Germans are said to have threshed the burs, after 

 carding them from the wool, and to have used the seed to adulterate 

 alfalfa. It is found in the summer around seaport towns of the At- 

 lantic coast, but. in the Gulf States has become a winter plant, spring- 

 ing up after the fall rains have set in, from the latter part of October 

 to the middle of December, according to the season. It makes^ a vig- 

 orous growth throughout the winter and dies completely away in May 

 or June, but leaves an abundance of seed in the soil. This habit makes 

 Bur clover one of the most important cover and winter forage crops of 

 this section. It grows well in almost all soils but apparently does best 

 on not too fertile uplands. The plant requires considerable water and 

 will not appear in seasons of scanty rainfall. It is also quite sensitive 

 to cold and to very hot weather, being killed by heavy frosts, though 



