THE CLOVERS 



255 





above the ground. To protect it from the sickle or from 

 grazing animals, the tap root as if possessed with fore- 

 thought contracts or shortens up, thus drawing the crown 

 down into the soil. Like other legumes, red clover forms 

 a partnership with a certain species of bacteria and they 

 work together in harmony. The nodules produced by 

 the bacteria are at first 



almost spherical, but A mm 



later they become pear- ^ <* 



shaped. They are not 

 so large as the nodules 

 found on the roots of 

 peas or beans, but they 

 are more numerous. 



254. The main stem 

 of the red clover plant 

 is made up of many 

 very short internodes, 

 and seldom grows over 

 an inch or two in 

 height. From the 

 nodes, however, many 

 leaves grow out, and 

 later branches grow 

 out between them and 

 the main stem. The 

 number of branches produced varies with the conditions 

 of growth, but usually from 6 to 18 are produced. From 

 the nodes of the main branches other branches are pro- 

 duced, which in turn give rise to still other branches, 

 so that when full grown, a many branched, bushy plant 

 results. The plants vary in height with conditions of 

 growth, but usually they are from 15 inches to 2 feet 



FIG. 89. Red clover. 



