GREEN FORAGE AND HAY CROPS 119 
cows or other farm animals as corn silage, as it soon dries out on 
exposure to air. It may, however, be considered of similar feeding 
value as corn silage, and makes a valuable feed for farmers who 
have difficulty in curing clover into hay on account of rainy weather. 
Like other legumes, clover may be safely placed in the silo wet with 
dew or rain. If it has been allowed to dry out before being siloed, 
water should be added as it is elevated into the silo or after each 
- load is filled into the silo. 
Mammoth clover (Trifolium medium) is a somewhat later 
variety than red clover, generally maturing three to five weeks later. 
As its name suggests, it has a larger and coarser growth than red 
clover and produces but one crop a year. It is, therefore, frequently 
pastured for several weeks in the early spring, and will make a 
good growth when the stock is removed. It requires a similar soil 
and climate as red clover, and is better able to thrive under un- 
favorable conditions. than this crop on account of its stronger root 
system and its perennial growth. It does not make as palatable 
hay as red clover on account of its ranker habit of growth, but its 
ability to do well on relatively poor soils and its perennial character 
make it a valuable hay crop to the stock farmer. 
Alsike or Swedish clover (Trifolium hybridum) is grown for 
both hay and pasture, often in mixture with red clover and timothy, 
or with red clover only. It produces a fine, soft hay that is greatly 
relished by stock and eaten without waste. Alsike flourishes on 
land that is too acid or too moist for other clovers, although it will 
not grow in really wet soils. While red clover usually dies out the 
third year, alsike will often live for several years, a feature which 
greatly increases its value for pasture.? 
Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum, Fig. 18) is an annual, 
especially valuable as a cover crop in orchards and for green manur- 
ing. It is also used for pasture, as a soiling crop, and, to a limited 
extent, for silage. It does not make as satisfactory hay as other 
clovers on account of the minute barbed hairs on its blossom heads, 
which become spiky as the heads ripen. Hay from over-ripe crimson 
clover tends to make hair balls, often 3 to 4 inches in diameter, of 
compact, felt-like structure, in the stomachs of animals, especially 
horses, and cases are on record of animals dying as a result of eating 
such hay.’° The difficulty may be avoided by cutting the hay at 
*White clover (Trifolium repens) is not a hay crop, being used in 
pastures and lawns only, in mixtures with grasses, 
” Division of Botany, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Circular 8; 
Farmers’ Bulletin 579, 
