22 



FARMERS BULLETIN 820. 



plants contain too much moisture it may be a good plan to mix some 

 corn stover with the sweet clover as it is run into the silo. 



Several silos in Illinois have been filled with sweet-clover straw. 

 When this is done it is necessary to add sufficient water to moisten 

 the dry stems. These stems become soft in a short time and ensile 

 in good condition. When the seed crop is thrashed with either a 

 grain separator or a clover huller the stems are broken and crushed 

 sufficiently to render it unnecessary to run them through a silage cut- 

 ter. Care must be taken when ensiling the straw to add sufficient 

 water, if molding is to be avoided. It will probably be necessary to 

 add water at the blower and also at the top of the silo. It is essen- 

 tial to tramp the straw thoroughly, so as to exclude as much air as 

 possible. After the silo is filled it should be covered with a layer 

 of green plants and thoroughly soaked with water. 



Table III giA'es analyses of several samples of sweet-clover silage 

 as compared to corn silage. 



TABLE III. Coin /xtxif ion of sircct-dorcr aildf/c <nid well-matured corn ni 



1 Analyzed by the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. 

 3 Analyses compiled by Henry and Morrison. 



Analyzed by the Bureau of Chemistry. 



As shown in Table III the analyses of the first and second years' 

 growth of sweet clover compare favorably in food elements with 

 corn silage. It is to be expected that the silage made from the sweet- 

 clover straw would contain less protein and carbohydrates than that 

 made from the entire plants, as most of the leaves shatter from sweet 

 clover before the seed crop is cut. Considerable protein and carbo- 

 hydrates were lost from the silage made from the first crop the sec- 

 ond season, as the plants were run into the silo as soon as they were 

 cut. Much juice was pressed from the bottom of this silo. An 

 analysis of this juice is given on page 21. 



SWEET CLOVER AS A SOILING CROP. 



As a soiling crop sweet clover has been used to only a very limited 

 extent. The average yields of green matter vary from 6 to 15 tons 

 per acre. The season for soiling may commence when the plants 



