58 



from a field in one season. Twenty pounds of seed are required for an acre. An 

 excellent species for trial in the Southern States, wherever cane and cotton may he 

 grown." (Jared G. Smith.) 



1501. Trifolium hybridum. Alsike clover. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. (4 

 packages.) 



" Trefle hybride " (hybrid clover). " Trefle d' Alsike." 



"A perennial, in size and general appearance intermediate between white and 

 red clover. It is better adapted than any other species in general cultivation to 

 wet meadows or marshy lands, but because of its shallow root system will not with- 

 stand drought. The branching, leafy stems grow 1 to 3 feet high and the young 

 flower heads are at first white and later become rose-colored. Its leaves are slightly 

 bitter, and on this account the forage is not so well liked by stock as that of red or 

 white clover; but it will grow on lands which are too wet for the other species, 

 thriving even in marshy places where the subsoil is impervious to water and the 

 drainage is bad. It may also be cultivated in the far north and in high altitudes, 

 as it has the power of withstanding severe cold. The forage is succulent and more 

 difficult to cure for hay than red clover. The air-dried hay contains from 10 to 13 

 per cent of crude protein. It is a very good honey plant for bees. The seed weighs 

 65 pounds to the bushel, and 12 pounds will sow an acre." (Jared G. Smith.) 



1502. Lespedeza striata. Japan clover. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. (2 

 packages.) 



"Trefle du Japon." 



"An annual legume, native of China, which was accidentally introduced into South 

 Carolina about thirty-five years ago, and has become naturalized throughout the 

 Southern States as far west as Texas. Because of its many good qualities it is the 

 most highly esteemed of all forage plants for this region. It will grow on worn 

 fields and sterile or exhausted soils, spreading rapidly over the surface, preventing 

 further washing of the land. In such localities it grows prostrate on the surface, 

 forming a dense mat of turf. In rich soils, especially such as are calcareous, it 

 grows 20 or 30 inches high, and when mown, makes an excellent quality of hay, 

 greedily eaten by all kinds of stock. It is distinctively a summer forage, appearing 

 about the the first of June, and dying down at the first touch of frost. In sandy 

 soils it suffers greatly from hot weather. The acreage of meadow and pasture lands 

 devoted to this clover is increasing rapidly. Its roots penetrate deeply into the 

 soil and, in common with most other leguminous plants, Japan clover, by means of 

 the tubercles on its roots, collects nitrogen from the air, so that because of its steady 

 and rapid growth it is one of the best crops to turn under as green manure, and is 

 one of the best for renovating old fields. The feeding value is high, though less than 

 that of clover and cowpeas. Seed should be sown broadcast at the rate of half a 

 bushel to the acre, either in autumn with oats or winter rye, or alone in spring." 

 (Jared G. Smith.) 



1503. Anthyllis vulneraria. Kidney-vetch. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. (18 

 packages.) 



"Trefle jaune des sables" (yellow sand clover). 



"A low perennial legume, which is found wild over a large part of Europe. It 

 grows naturally in very dry and sterile soils along the roadsides, wherever the soil 

 is thin and the subsoil calcareous. It is recommended as furnishing a palatable 

 though scant forage on dry, calcareous soils, in places that are too poor to support 

 even white el'over. The product of the first year is small, so that it is only a profit- 

 able crop when sown with grain. The second year the plant throws up tall stems, 

 often 3 or 4 feet high. It is not recommended to sow this crop in the United States, 

 except experimentally upon such barren soils as have been described, and then only 

 after the better species have been tried and found to be failures." (Jared G. Smith.) 



1504. Vicia sativa. Vetch. 



From France. Received through Mr. W. T. Swingle, December, 1898. (9 

 packages.) 



"Vesce commune de printemps" (common spring vetch). 



" An annual trailing herb, 12 to 20 inches high, with 4 to 5 angled stems, simple or 



