THE VETCHES, SWEET CLOVERS, AND OTHERS 303 



inches apart, dropping the seeds in and covering them lightly 

 with soil. The plants start to grow about the time the Bermuda 

 grass is killed by the frosts in the fall, and in mild climates they 

 grow throughout the winter. The first year after seeding 

 clover in the Bermuda grass sod the plants are not numerous 

 enough 'to furnish much pasture but will reseed the field for 

 the next year, when the new plants will furnish pasture late in 

 the fall and early in the spring. For a hay crop, on account of 

 its low growing habit, it is best seeded in the fall with oats or 

 wheat, which combination may be cut the next summer and will 

 yield a good tonnage of excellent hay. 



When used as a green manure crop, from 50 to 60 pounds of 

 the burs are sown per acre. The plants grow during late fall 

 and early spring, making a good growth before being plowed 

 under for a cultivated crop. The bacteria that produce the 

 nodules on the roots of bur clover do not seem to be widely dis- 

 tributed, and frequently it is necessary to inoculate the soil 

 before nodules are developed. The bacteria which work on the 

 roots of bur clover also live on the roots of alfalfa and sweet 

 clover, and soils that have produced these crops successfully 

 may be used for inoculating the bur clover. 



JAPAN CLOVEB 



307. Japan clover, Lespedeza striata. — This plant is a 

 native of eastern Asia and was introduced into the United States 

 early in the '60's. During the Civil War it was carried by the 

 armies for feeding their horses and was spread over most of the 

 Southern States east of the Mississippi River. Since tha't time 

 the area of its growth has been extended somewhat, and it is 

 now found growing from New Jersey westward to central Kansas 

 and southward to the Gulf. 



308. Description. — Japan clover is a low growing annual, 

 usually from 6 to 10 inches in height, although under very favorable 

 conditions it may reach a height of 3 feet. When the plants are 

 seeded thinly on the ground, the stems are prostrate ; but when 

 the stand is thick, the plants support each other and are erect. 

 The stems are fine and the leaves are carried in three's and are 

 almost sessile on the branches, which spring from the main 

 stems. The flowers are pink and nearly sessile. The seed 



