clover is pastured, harvested for 

 seed, or grown for soil improve- 

 ment only. If it is harvested for 

 hay, it should be cut in early bloom ; 

 however, hay made from this crop 

 is occasionally unpalatable to cattle 

 and sheep. 



USES 



Hay and Silage 



A stand of medium red clover 

 will produce two or three crops of 

 hay the harvest year. Mammoth 

 clover will produce one crop. 



Stem crushing — to condition the 

 hay after mowing — decreases the 

 curing time and improves the qual- 

 ity of the hay. 



After the crop is cut, allow it to 

 wilt in the swath and then rake it 

 into small, loose windrows. It will 

 cure about as rapidly in the wind- 

 rows as in the swath, and fewer 

 leaves will be lost in baling. 



You can also force-air dry red 

 clover hay. Forced-air drying is 

 better than windrow drying. It 

 preserves the green color, lessens 

 leaf shattering, and practically 

 eliminates spoilage. 



Red clover and red clover-grass 

 mixtures are frequently ensiled. 

 These crops make good silage if 

 they are wilted slightly before they 

 are ensiled, or if carbohydrate or 

 chemical preservatives are added to 

 them as they are ensiled. 



Pasture 



Red clover is one of the best 

 legume pasture plants for livestock 

 and poultry. Red clover and red 

 clover-grass mixture pastures can 

 be grazed or they can be cut green 

 and fed to livestock and poultry. 



Red clover is also one of the bet- 

 ter legumes for renovating old pas- 

 tures. Clip or graze the old pasture 

 closely. Chop up the sod with a 

 disk or harrow before sowing the 

 red clover seed. 



Soil improvement 



In addition to its principal value 

 as livestock feed, a red clover crop 

 turned under as green manure im- 

 proves the physical properties of 

 the soil and increases the yield of 

 the following cultivated crop. 



There are many crop rotations 

 in which red clover plays a part. 

 One of the oldest is the 3 -year rota- 

 tion of corn, oats or wheat, and red 

 clover. Other common rotations 

 are: 



• Corn, soybeans, small grain, 

 red clover. 



• Corn, corn, small grain, red 

 clover. 



• Rice, red clover. 



• Sugar beets, small grain, red 

 clover. 



• Tobacco, rye or wheat, red 

 clover-grass, grass, grass. 



• Potatoes, small grain, red 

 clover. 



DISEASES 



Many organisms produce diseases 

 in red clover. Foliage diseases are 

 the most conspicuous, but usually 

 they are not as destructive as root 

 and crown diseases. 



Root-knot nematodes also infest 

 red clover. Nematodes cause swell- 

 ings on the roots; the swellings 

 resemble the nodules produced by 

 the inoculating- culture bacteria. 



The best disease control is good 

 stand management : 



