564 



SAINFOIN 



SAINFOIN 



SAINFOIN. Onobrychis sativa, Lam. 0„ vieicefolia, 

 Scop. Leguminosm. (Bsparcet, Bsparsette, Saint- 

 foin, Holy Clover.) Fig. 802. 



By C. V. Piper. 



Sainfoin is a long-lived and deep-rooted legumi- 

 nous forage plant, comparable agriculturally with 

 red clover and alfalfa. The stems are erect or nearly 

 so, one and one-half to 

 two and one-half feet 

 high, and terminated by 

 dense, erect racemes of 

 rose-colored flowers. 

 The leaves are mostly 

 basal and are unequally 

 pinnate, each composed 

 of six to twelve pairs 

 of leaflets with an odd 

 terminal one. 



The plant is a native 

 of south-central Asia, 

 whence it was intro- 

 duced into continental 

 Europe about the fif- 

 teenth century and into 

 England in the seven- 

 teenth century. In Ger- 

 many, where it is com- 

 monly called esparsette, 

 it was an important for- 

 age crop as early asl716. 

 By some writers it has 

 been supposed that the 

 plant called Onobrychis 

 by Diosoorides and Pliny 

 was identical with the 

 modern sainfoin, but 

 recent investigations 

 have shown conclusively 

 that it was a related species, Onobrychis Caput- 

 galli, which is now grown but sparingly. 



Distribution. 



Sainfoin was introduced into the United States 

 at least 150 years ago and has been tested in 

 an experimental way in most parts of the country. 

 Thus far its cultivation is exceedingly limited. 

 This is due to the fact that it can not com- 

 pete with red clover or alfalfa in the sections of 

 the country to which these crops are especially 

 adapted. To a limited extent it is being grown on 

 barren soils in limestone regions, and it is probable 

 that it will become important in such regions when 

 its value and cultural requirements have become 

 generally known. It is possible that many of the 

 unsatisfactory results have been due to lack of 

 inoculation, though in some experiments nodules 

 have appeared on the roots where the crop has 

 never before been grown and without the seed hav- 

 ing been inoculated. To a limited extent sainfoin 

 is grown in the West on well-drained soils under 

 irrigation, particularly in British Columbia. As a 

 rule, however, alfalfa yields so much more heavily 

 that there is little likelihood of sainfoin becoming 

 much used in this way. 



Fig. 802. Sainfoin. 



Varieties 



There are two varieties of sainfoin commonly 

 cultivated in Europe, the common or small-seeded 

 sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa, var. communis), which 

 yields only one cutting of hay, the aftermath being 

 composed almost entirely of leaves ; and the large 

 seeded or double-cutting sainfoin (0. sativa, var. 

 bifera), which yields two cuttings of hay. This 

 latter variety flowers earlier than common sainfoin 

 and is somewhat more vigorous. 



Culture. 



Soil.— SaMoin is especially adapted for growing 

 on dry lands too barren to produce satisfactory crops 

 of clover or alfalfa. It is quickly killed out on land 

 saturated with moisture. It thrives especially well 

 on calcareous soils. Where the soil is not calcareous 

 in nature, it is best to make heavy applications 

 of lime, for, although sainfoin will succeed with 

 only a small amount of lime, it reaches its max- 

 imum productiveness when the lime content is 

 high. In Europe large tracts of barren calcareous 

 lands almost valueless for other purposes are 

 devoted to the cultivation of sainfoin. This 

 is particularly true of the chalk districts of 

 France and England. The soil should be thor- 

 oughly prepared, and as free from weed seeds as 

 possible, as the young plants are weak and easily 

 crowded out. 



Seed and seeding. — The seed of sainfoin occurs 

 on the market almost entirely in the pod, a bushel 

 of which weighs twenty-six pounds. The seed is 

 usually sown at the rate of four to five bushels 

 per acre, but a considerable proportion fails to 

 germinate owing to the tough hull. Shelling of the 

 seed is difficult because of the toughness of the 

 pericarp and the brittleness of the seed. Hulled 

 seed, is rarely found on the market, but if used 

 forty to sixty pounds per acre is sufficient for 

 seeding. Owing to the large size of the seed in the 

 pod, it should be planted rather deep. Wherever 

 possible it is advisable to use a drill, as this places 

 the seed at a more nearly uniform depth so that it 

 germinates better. 



When spring-sown. May 15 to June 30, barley 

 or oats is commonly used as a nurse crop, in which 

 case it is usually advisable to cut the nurse • crop 

 green for hay. When weeds are a serious fac- 

 tor, especially in the eastern part of the coun- 

 try, sainfoin should be sown in early fall. It 

 is not advisable to mix sainfoin with other 

 forage plants, owing to the weakness of the young 

 seedlings. 



Sainfoin is not well adapted for use in rotations 

 owing to its perennial character and the difficulty 

 of establishing it. For this reason it should be 

 planted only where it can be left permanently. 

 Under favorable conditions fields will remain pro- 

 ductive for twenty years, and some fields in France 

 are said to have produced continuously for one 

 hundred years. 



Harvesting and uses. 



Sainfoin is harvested in much the same way as 

 red clover, but it cures out much more readily. To 



