THE VETCHES, SWEET CLOVERS, AND OTHERS 301 



same time produce such an extensive root system supplied 

 with nitrogen-gathering bacteria. Sweet clover is also 

 used in some localities for hay, but on account of the large, 

 woody stems and a characteristic bitter taste, it is hardly 

 probable that it can successfully compete for this purpose 

 with alfalfa. It should be cut for hay before the first 

 flowers appear in order to yield hay of the best quality. 

 It is handled much the same way that alfalfa is handled. 

 Sweet clover may be used for pasture or soiling, but 

 on account of its unpleasant bitter taste, live stock have 

 to become accustomed to it before they acquire a liking 

 for it. 



303. Cultural methods. Many farmers have expe- 

 rienced difficulty in securing a stand of sweet clover in 

 cultivated fields, although it may grow abundantly along 

 the. roadside. There are two reasons for the frequent 

 failure to secure a successful stand. Sweet clover re- 

 quires a firm, compact seed bed, and the young plants do 

 not grow well on loose soil, as do most of the other culti- 

 vated crops. Another reason for frequent poor stands is 

 the poor quality of the seed secured on the market. Sweet 

 clover seed contains many hard seeds that do not germi- 

 nate readily, sometimes as much as 60 per cent of it 

 failing to germinate for this reason. The seeds should 

 always be tested for germination and the rate of applica- 

 tion made to correspond with the percentage of germina- 

 tion. Sometimes failure to secure a stand may be due 

 to the lack of sufficient lime in the soil, which should be 

 tested with litmus paper before seeding, unless it is known 

 to be well supplied with lime. The seed may be sown 

 broadcast on fall sown grain fields in early spring while 

 the ground is honeycombed, or it may be seeded alone 

 on a firm seed bed in late spring or summer. The usual 



