pasture. If the associated plants be- 
come too tall and rank, they will 
inhibit growth of the white clover. 
If growth is more rapid than can be 
utilized by grazing, the excess can 
be made into either hay or silage. 
An occasional clipping to make 
growth more uniform and to control 
weeds is desirable. 
Following is a summary of practices 
and conditions that affect the composi- 
tion of white clover plants and grass 
plants in a mixed pasture. 
Practices or conditions that tend to 
cause the plant population to shift 
more to grass: 
® Application of nitrogen fertilizer. 
® Undergrazing that permits grass 
to grow above clover. 
® Lack of lime, phosphate, and 
potash. 
@ Permitting grass to mature seed. 
© Overgrazing during drought. 
Practices or conditions that maintain 
white clover or cause the plant popu- 
lation to shift to more clover: 
@ Preventing grass from growing too 
tall, either by grazing or by har- 
vesting forage for hay or silage. 
® Withholding nitrogen fertilizer. 
@ Adequate applications of lime, 
phosphate, and potash. 
@ Mowing to eliminate weeds and 
undergrazed tall grass. 
Scattering animal droppings with a 
disk or harrow will result in a more 
uniform growth of the pasture. If 
you want the white clover to reseed 
itself, however, do not scatter the 
droppings until after the seed heads 
contain many mature seeds. Animals 
do not graze around their droppings. 
Thus, leaving droppings undisturbed 
until after the seed crop is mature 
assures an abundance of seed required 
in the establishment of the volunteer 
stand. 
6 
Preventing Bloat 
White clover will cause bloat in 
cattle and sheep, but in this respect 
it is not different from many other 
legumes. The exact cause or causes of 
bloat are not known. Until more 
information is available and control 
methods developed, care must be exer- 
cised at all times. 
In general, the incidence of bloat is 
greatest when the growth is succulent 
and is three or more inches in height. 
In some locations the incidence of 
bloat is highest during bright, warm 
weather immediately following 
cloudy, rainy periods. Less bloat 
occurs when animals graze grass- 
legume mixtures that contain at least 
40 percent grass, than when they graze 
straight clover. 
Do not turn hungry cattle or sheep 
into a rank, lush stand of clover; give 
them a fill of dry hay or straw first. 
Keep a rack of grass, hay or straw in 
each field where the animals have 
ready access to it. 
Consult your State agricultural ex- 
periment station for recommendations 
on the use of antibiotics and other 
preventative methods which have re- 
duced the incidence of bloat for at 
least short periods. 
LIMING AND FERTILIZING 
When lime ts needed to make the 
soil less acid and to supply calcium, 
it is generally applied at rates of 1 
to 4 tons per acre. The amounts of 
phosphorus and potassium needed 
generally are in the range of 300 to 
600 pounds of 20 percent superphos- 
phate and 60 to 250 pounds of muriate 
of potash, or their equivalents. In 
certain sections minor elements are 
necessary for the highest yields of 
forage and seed. 
