SWEET CLOVER: GROWING THE CROP. 



White sweet clover, 1 yellow biennial sweet clover, 2 and yellow 

 annual sweet clover 3 are the only species which have given sufficient 

 promise as forage and green-manure crops in this country to war- 

 rant growing them under cultivation. 



It is difficult for the average person to distinguish between the 

 different species of sweet clover from an examination of the seeds or 

 seed pods only. The differences are indicated in figure 1. Where 

 there is a question as to the identity of 

 a sample of seed it should be sent to a 

 State agricultural experiment station 

 or to one of the seed laboratories of the 

 United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture for identification. 



WHITE SWEET CLOVER. 



White sweet clover (fig. 2) is ordi- 

 narily referred to as melilotus or melilot 

 in the South and merely as sweet clover 

 in other portions of the country. When 

 soil conditions are favorable for germi- 

 nation, sweet-clover seedlings will ap- 

 pear from one to two weeks after seed- 

 ing. On account of the biennial nature 

 of the plants, they do not seem to make 

 much growth above ground the first 

 month or six weeks after germination, 

 but during this time they are develop- 

 ing root systems rapidly and thus be- 

 coming established, so as to be able to 

 withstand adverse conditions. Plants 

 which have made no more than 2 inches 

 of top growth very often have pro- 

 duced roots 6 inches or more in length 

 (fig. 3). The taproot continues to de- 

 velop rapidly throughout the growing 

 season the first year, and by autumn 

 often reaches a length of 24 to 36 inches 

 and a diameter of three-fourths to 1 

 inch at the crown. 



After the root system becomes estab- 

 lished the plants produce an upright, 

 branching, leafy growth, which under ideal growing conditions may 

 reach a height of 48 inches the first season, but more often 18 to 30 

 inches. A large quantity of reserve food is stored in the taproot the 



FIG. 2. A branch of white sweet 

 clover, showing the long, loose 

 racemes which bear white flowers. 



1 Melilotus alba Desr. 2 Melilotus officinalis (L.) Lam. 3 M eUlotus indica (L.) All. 



