36 



BULLETIN 1244, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Table 18. — Hay yields of sweet clover sown alone and with nurse crops at four 



stations in the northern Great Plains region in stated years. 

 [Data in pounds por acre, field cured, exec jit that the material at Moccasin was air dried in 1921 and 1922.] 



Station and method of sowing. 



1915 



1918 



1917 



1918 1919 1 1920 , 1921 



1922 



Aver- 

 age. 



Redfield, S. Dak.: 







2 3,700 

 4,452 

 4,417 

 3,643 



2,960 

 1,680 



1,000 



2,087 

 

 

 



3,441 

 2,499 

 2,381 



5,420 

 1,080 



075 



1,900 



1,150 



1,225 



875 



798 

 605 

 715 



2,200 

 800 



835 





 

 

 





 

 







4,802 

 2,8£0 

 4,137 



3,500 



7,114 

 6,619 

 5,203 



5fiO 



7,5S7 

 6,487 



7,612 

 4,062 



4,029 

 3,148 



2,22S 







3,556 









2 490 









2 899 









2 013 



Moccasin, Mont.: 





4,500 

 2,700 

 3,020 



3,263 



• 2,464 



2 172 











Sheridan, Wyo.: 





1 r.Sfi 











170 



1 530 



Williston, N.Dak.:i 



7,380 



7,485 



2,250 



840 







3,244 









1 Data from North Dakota Experiment Station Bulletin 158. 



2 A crop of hay which yielded at the rate of 3,235 pounds per acre was taken in the fall of 1916 from 

 the plats sown alone. The late harvesting of these plats accounts for the low yield obtained on them in lit 17 

 as compared with the plats sown with a nurse crop. 



There seems to be an impression that sweet clover is more drought 

 resistant than alfalfa, but when given the same conditions it is 

 doubtful whether there is any appreciable difference. Sweet clover 

 ordinarily has more moisture to draw on, as it usually follows some 

 shallow-rooted or a clean-cultivated crop, while alfalfa remains on 

 the land several years and draws heavily on the soil moisture. There 

 is, however, little difference in the average yields of sweet clover 

 and alfalfa. At Redfield sweet clover sown alone has averaged about 

 If tons per acre and at Moccasin and Williston about 1J tons. 

 At Sheridan the average yield is about three-fourths of a ton per 

 acre, but in 1920 and 1922 there were complete failures. At Havre 

 the results have been even less satisfactory than at Sheridan. The 

 failures have been so frequent and the yields have been so light during 

 the past five years that the crop has not been profitable. At Ard- 

 more sweet clover has been unable to compete with alfalfa. 



Some tests have been conducted comparing sweet clover in close 

 drills and in rows. While the results are slightly in favor of sowing 

 in rows, the difference is not great enough to be really significant. 

 As is the case with alfalfa, where the moisture supply is so light that 

 the drilled plats do not make any growth, the yield from rows will not 

 ordinarily be enough to justify the additional labor involved in keeping 

 down the weeds. Furthermore, the hay from rows is often objection- 

 able because of the dirt and dust collected with it. Comparative 

 results from these two methods of sowing are given in Table 19. 



Table L9. -Comparison of hay yields of sweet clover grown in rows and close drills 



at Mandan and Sheridan in stated years. 

 [Where no yields are recorded, no stand was obtained the previous season or else the plants were winterkilled.] 



st;ii ion and method ofsowing. 



fields per acre, Bald cured (pounds). 



I'.U 1 



1915 



1916 



L917 



1918 



1919 



1920 



1921 



1928 



Aver- 

 age. 



Vfandan, N. Dak.: 1 



2,600 

 2,200 





 



1,600 

 5,160 



1,800 









 



7,000 

 5,420 



2. 170 

 2,510 



2, mo 

 2,800 







(i 



(i 

 



1,815 

 1,81$ 



1,200 

 660 











 





9heridan, \\ j 0.: 



Rows 



2,060 



( lose drills 











1,636 















1 romthe records of the 1 ►fflce of Dry-Land Agriculture investigations. 



