12 FARMERS' BULLETIN 797. 



in the New England States, where it should prove of value as 

 pasturage, and as a soil-improving crop on soils where red clover no 

 longer can be grown. Sweet clover grows abundantly in the lime- 

 stone regions of northwestern New York. 



A much larger acreage of sweet clover is grown in northern Illi- 

 nois than in any other of the eastern North- Central States. The con- 

 ditions in the western North-Central States and in the Mountain 

 States appear to be particularly adapted to this crop. It is in that 

 part of the country that the largest acreage is found, and, with the 

 exception of the limestone regions of the South, that the least diffi- 

 culty is experienced in obtaining a stand. 



In those parts of the Mountain and Pacific Coast States, especially 

 Utah, where it has not been tested carefully or where red clover 

 or alfalfa can be grown successfully, sweet clover is looked upon as 

 a weed. It may rightly be considered a weed in the irrigated regions 

 of the West and Northwest, where it grows luxuriantly on ditch 

 banks. The dissemination of this plant in all parts of the country 

 has been hastened by beekeepers who have seeded it in waste places 

 for the production of honey. 



CLIMATIC ADAPTATIONS. 



Sweet clover is adapted to a wider range of climatic conditions 

 than any of the true clovers and possibly alfalfa ; in fact, it may be 

 grown successfully in any portion of the United States except, per- 

 haps, Florida, and in Florida trials with biennial yellow sweet clover, 

 annual sweet clover, and Melilotus suaveolens have been successful. 

 Apparently neither the high temperatures of the South nor the cold 

 winters of the North severely affect the plants, provided there is 

 sufficient moisture in the soil. Comparatively little winterkilling is 

 experienced in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, and North Dakota when 

 the seed is sown in close drills or broadcasted. Although approxi- 

 mately 50 per cent of the sweet clover seeded in rows 3 feet apart at 

 Moccasin, Mont., was killed by the unusually severe winter of 

 1915-16, no winterkilling was noted in plats seeded in close drills. 



Sweet clover thrives in the more humid parts of the country, as 

 well as in the semiarid regions where the rainfall is but three-fifths 

 of that required for the normal growth of such crops as red clover 

 and timothy. In the semiarid regions of the West sweet clover has 

 proved to be somewhat more drought resistant than alfalfa. 



REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING A STAND. 



The requirements for obtaining a stand of sweet clover are some- 

 what exacting. It is for this reason that so many failures have 

 been experienced. It must not be assumed, because sweet clover is 



