456 



MEDIC 



MEDIC 



MEDIC. Medicago species. Leguminosce. Pigs. 

 678, 679. 

 The one great medic is alfalfa. This plant, once 

 thought to he adapted only to semi-arid regions, is 

 now grown extensively in many parts of the humid 

 East, where it is specially valuable to dairymen. 

 In recent years, eastern dairymen have depended 

 on nitrogenous by-products to balance home-grown 

 rations, which consist largely of corn silage and 

 timothy hay. Alfalfa is adapted to saving a part 

 of this expenditure, as is shown by the following 

 table based on analyses and digestion experiments 

 of American Experiment Stations : 



While alfalfa hay, on account of its bulky char- 

 acter, can only be a partial substitute for concen- 

 trates from grains or manufactured nitrogenous 

 by-products, it may also on account of its produc- 

 tiveness, where successfully grown, be a profitable 

 substitute for other hay crops. Since it is perennial 

 it reduces the labor and care for a given area of 

 land to the minimum. 



The medics are plants of the genus Medicago, 

 some fifty in number, some of which are grown for 

 forage. With the exception of alfalfa, 

 which is Medieago sativa, the species 

 are of very secondary agricultural 

 value, and are practically unknown to 

 the farming people of this coun- 

 try. Medicago is closely allied to 

 Trifolium (the clovers), from which 

 it is distinguished chiefly by the 

 twisted or coiled pods [see 

 Pig. 274, in the Alfalfa arti- 

 cle]. With the exception of 



one shrubby species, 

 the medics are herbs, 

 annual or perennial, mostly with 

 clover-like habit, rather small 

 leaves of three leaflets, and flow- 

 ers purple or yellow in small 

 heads, short spikes or racemes. 

 They are native in Europe, Africa 

 and Asia. Several species have 

 been tried at experiment stations 

 and more or less recommended for special purposes. 

 Seeds of some species are used as adulterants in 

 other seeds [see page 141]. The best known medic 

 (aside from alfalfa) in this country is the hop or 

 black medic (Medicago lupulina, Pig. 678), which 

 looks like a small-headed yellow-flowered creeping 

 clover. It is now a weed in many parts of the 



i 



country, although not particularly troublesome. It 

 is said to afford good forage and has been recom- 

 mended for special places now and then, but it 

 appears to be of little value 

 as compared with several 

 other plants that thrive under 

 similar conditions. It is an an- 

 nual wirypubescentplant, lying 

 close to the ground. Medicago 

 media is the Sand lucern men- 

 tioned on page 193. 



A medic that has recently 

 received attention is Snail 

 clover (Medicago turbinata, Pig. 

 679). It is native in south- 

 western Spain, introduced into 

 California as a winter forage 

 plant. The seed starts as soon 

 as the fall rains come, and 

 the plant grows vigorously 

 through the winter and spring. 

 The heavy crop of seeds is ma- 

 tured in early summer, after 

 which the plant shrivels up. It 

 volunteers from year to year, 

 so that direct seeding is not 

 necessary after the crop is es- 

 tablished. The pods, which are 

 large and smooth, lie on the 

 ground after the plant has 

 withered, and are easily gath- 

 ered. If they are allowed to 

 remain, the seeds will germi- 

 nate the following fall. The 

 plant gives promise as a for- 

 age plant because of its heavy 

 growth ; and its heavy seed 

 production and ready germi- 

 nation may make it valuable 

 as a cover -crop and green- 

 manure. It thrives on moist 

 laud but is somewhat drought- 

 resistant. It shows liability 

 to frost injury in some local- 

 ities. 



Bur -clover is a name applied to two medics, 

 Medieago denliculata and M. maculata. The former 

 is a weed on the Pacific 

 coast, but furnishes much 

 forage in dry summer pas- 

 tures. The spotted clover, 

 or southern bur -clover, 

 M. maculata, is recom- 

 mended for the South, par- 

 ticularly for winter pas- 

 ture in the sandy soils of 

 the pine -woods regions. 

 Various other medics are 

 mentioned in experiment 

 station and other litera- 

 ture, but they are not of 

 sufiicient importance to 

 The economically import- 

 ant species in this country at present, aside from 

 alfalfa, are M, denticulata and M. maculata. 



Fig. 679. 



Snail clover {Medicago 



turbinata). 



Fig. 678. Black or hop medic 



{Medicago lupulina). 



warrant discussion here. 



