2IO SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



during which it has been grown in the southern states 

 no one apparently is growing it in the northern 

 states. 



Japan clover is a low growing plant which 

 seldom exceeds the hight of sixteen inches. It is an 

 annual, but when not grazed down too closely or cut 

 too early it has much power to reseed itself. Since 

 it grows readily on hard surfaces, this property may 

 be turned to good account. It is considerably 

 branched and has a blue flower. It may be grown 

 on dry soils, but will of course make a more vigorous 

 growth on good loam soils.. On the former it only 

 attains the hight of a few inches, and is used as pas- 

 ture. On the more productive soils it is grown for 

 hay. From twelve to fifteen pounds of seed are sown 

 per acre. 



Where Japan clover furnishes sufficient bulk to 

 justify growing it for hay, it may also be grown as 

 soiling food. It will not of course produce nearly so 

 much food per acre as the sorghums, either saccharine 

 or non-saccharine, but it may be grown on soils 

 where these would not produce abundantly without 

 being fertilized. And it may also be grown with 

 much less outlay for labor. 



Sainfoin. — Sainfoin (Onobrychis safi-i'a) is a 

 plant that grows rapidly and vigorously under suit- 

 able conditions. It is sometimes called Aspersette or 

 Esparsette. It is a legume of the clover family, 

 and is much branched and spreading in its habit 

 of growth. The flowers are of a beautiful crimson 

 tint and it seeds profusely under favorable con- 

 ditions. In some parts of Europe, notably in the 

 south of England and in France, it has long been 



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