Green Forage Crops 269 



Bermuda-grass. 



In the southern states, Bermuda-grass is considered one 

 of the most valuable grasses for pasture. It is dis- 

 tinctly a hot weather plant, and thrives only in those 

 regions which have short, mild winters. Fortunately, it 

 is well adapted for pasture on poor lands, and its power of 

 withstanding a drought is one of its valuable characteris- 

 tics. Because it is capable of producing a new plant at 

 each joint, it spreads rapidly, and it is this quality which 

 makes it a valuable pasture grass as well as an aggressive 

 and pestiferous weed. However, it can be eradicated 

 from a field where it is not wanted with comparative ease 

 by proper cultivation. At the time of seeding, the soil 

 should be well supplied with minerals, and top-dressings 

 of nitrate of soda should be made in spring. 



CLOVERS AND OTHER LEGUMES 



There are four types of true clover red clover and 

 mammoth red clover, a variety of the former, alsike clover, 

 crimson clover, white clover which are among the most 

 valuable of our summer forage crops: first, because of 

 the time of their growth, they furnish food before spring- 

 sown crops are ready ; second, because of their power of 

 acquiring food from sources inaccessible to the cereals, they 

 are less exhaustive ; and third, they are especially rich in 

 the compound protein, the most useful substance con- 

 tained in feeds. Since these crops generally grow well 

 on soils of medium fertility, many are inclined to regard 

 them as able to subsist and make a good crop without 

 liberal fertilization. It should be remembered, however, 

 that the power which these plants possess of acquiring 



