136 NATURE STUDY AND AGRICULTURE 
the awns softer. Wild barley is 
regarded as a bad weed that invades 
pastures, meadows, and lawns. It 
is of no value, but, on the contrary, 
is injurious to stock, as the awns, 
when eaten, cause sores in the 
mouth and sometimes even in the 
stomach. The plant has short, 
fibrous roots and is easily killed by 
plowing. 
LEGUMES 
The legumes are of special value 
on the farm 
because they 
are richer in 
nourishment 
than the 
grasses, and they restore the fertility of 
the soil instead of exhausting it as other 
plants do. The most important for hay 
and pasture are clover and alfalfa. On 
the wild prairies there also grow a great 
variety of native legumes. 
Red Clover.— There are two vari- 
eties of red clover, the common red or 
medium clover and the mammoth clover. 
The former is smaller and matures 
earlier than the latter. Red clover is 
most commonly raised with timothy, 
making the famous timothy and clover 
hay. It will not thrive in poor soil or 
where the rainfall is scant. For horses Rep CLOVER 
Witp BARLEY 
