Tkt RURAL NEW-YORKER 
521 
Annual Sweet Clover; New Plant Hired Man 
Accidental Discovery Which Changes Farming 
» 
N IMMEDIATE NEED.—Many of 
our farmers realize that in order 
to meet the changed conditions of agri¬ 
culture new manurial aud fodder crops 
are needed. The labor shortage, the 
high cost of fertilizers and the growing 
scarcity of stable manure will compel 
every farmer on the Atlantic slope to 
change his methods and seek new 
helpers. Our greatest need has been 
some quick-growing legume crop which 
will make a heavy growth the season 
it is seeded, not interfere with a rota¬ 
tion. and supply nitrogen and organic 
matter as well as pasture or hay. Crim¬ 
son clover does this quite well south 
of Philadelphia, but does not give 
enough of growth and is not hardy for 
more northern latitudes. Some farmers 
use vetch as a Fall-seeded crop, or oats 
and peas for Spring seeding. Neither 
crop will give just the results needed 
on our Eastern farms. Cow peas do 
well at the South, and of course lied 
and Alsike clover will give a small crop 
the first year. None of these, however, 
quite fills the bill. 
A CANDIDATE FROM IOWA.—The 
Iowa Agricultural College now presents 
a candidate for the position of plant 
hired man which seems to us most 
promising of any yet reported. It is 
an annual jchite Street clover. This 
was not known to exist until March, 
1910. when H. D. Hughes, who had 
charge of the farm crop work at the 
college, observed a number of very 
large Sweet clover plants. They all 
.seemed to come from one particular 
lot of seed. These plants seemed far 
superior to the others, and looked as 
if they were about ready to bloom less 
than three months from seeding. The college had 
secured some 500 different lots of Sweet clover seed 
for trial, and they were planted in the greenhouse 
in January. At about March 1 plans were made to 
tear these plantings out to make room for other 
crops, when Mr. Hughes noticed tlu'se larger plants. 
When this seed was planted it was supposed to be the 
common biennial or two-year white variety, but when 
the difference was discovered these superior plants 
were left in the soil. By the middle of March they 
had grown to a height of from three to 4% feet, and 
1. Annual White 
2. Medium Red 
3. Bieunal White 
Comparison of Root Fi/stcms. Fig. IS4 
most of them were in full bloom. At that same age 
the common Sweet clover was less than one foot 
high. All who have grown the common varieties 
know that practically one season must be given up 
while the plant gets ready to work! 
A POSSIBLE “SPORT.”—It is not. definitely 
known where this clover originated, but it probably 
first appeared in Alabama. The indications are that 
it first appeared as a “sport" or mutation on wild 
land. Mr. Hughes gives the following guess as to 
its origin: 
It is quite certain that the “sport” did not occur in 
a cultivated field, for under these conditions the seed 
would have been lost. It evidently occurred on wild 
land several years, where it made its growth and pro¬ 
duced its seed year after year without anyone becoming 
aware of the fact that it was making its complete 
growth in a single season. Considerable Sweet clover 
seed is harvested in certain sections of Alabama by 
negroes, who either stripped the seed off the standing 
plants or cut the plants down and thrashed the seed 
out by hand. Under these conditions the seed of the 
two clovers became mixed. 
When the plants were mature they 
were pulled, and the root growth found 
then large and vigorous, but entirely dif¬ 
ferent from that of the biennial Sweet 
clovers. The biennials have a large suc¬ 
culent tap-root at the end of the first sea¬ 
son's growth, much like that of a parsnip, 
and at the top of the root, about an inch 
below the surface of the ground, a crown 
with anywhere from five to 50 buds ready 
to burst forth at the first sign of Spring. 
But the root of the new clover was en¬ 
tirely different. Although large and 
vigorous, there was no life-giving succu¬ 
lence. and no crown nor buds to begin 
life anew the next Spriug. The plant 
had made its full growth, bloomed, 
ripened it* seed and died—tops, roots and 
all, clearly establishing the fact that this 
clover was an annual. 
The growth of the Bed clover, is also 
shown by comparison. We must realize 
therefore that the annual Sweet clover 
has about the same analysis a* clover 
or Alfalfa. It has the same habit of 
taking nitrogen from the air. and in 
the season of seeding it makes four or 
five times as much growth as Red 
clover and gets out of the way for the 
next season's crop. 
TESTING THE NEW PLANT — 
Having become satisfied that this annual Sweet 
clover is a new plant and that it has the power to 
reproduce its peculiar characteristics, the Iowa 
Station proceeded to collect seed and fully test the 
clover. This seed was sent in small quantities all 
over this country, and from Denmark to Hawaii 
It has given good results everywhere. It made its 
full growth in from three to four months, and grew 
from 3Vi to seven feet high—depending on soil and 
conditions. A report (Continued on page 531) 
was made with Medium Red clover. As 
many of our readers know, under ideal 
conditions of soil and weather Red 
clover will sometimes make 12 or even 
IS inches of growth the same season 
it is seeded—but that is unusual. In 
this Iowa experiment the Red clover 
seeded at the same time as the annual 
Sweet clover made from three to five 
inches of growth, while the Sweet 
clover grew three to -H4 feet. 
COMPARISON OF GROWTH.—The 
difference in the growth of these clovers 
is shown at Fig. 134. Mr. Hughes tells 
how this difference was noted on the 
original plants grown in the greenhouse. 
Annual White Sweet Clover Plants. Fig. 133 
Its discovery in the Iowa greenhouse was one of 
those fortunate accidents which have had so much 
to do with changing industry. For we firmly believe 
that the use of this annual Sweet clover is destined 
to upset many of our present ideas of farming and 
fertilizing.. 
THE FIRST PLANTING—That first season in 
the greenhouse it was possible to obtain a number 
of seeds. There were plants in this original lot, 
and they gave enough seed to grow a short row for 
each. This seed was planted about the middle of 
June (the same year in which the plants were dis¬ 
covered*. A thin seeding of oats was made with 
them. At the same time'other clovers were seeded 
for comparison. The oats were cut when the heads 
were in •■milk” without injuring the clover. At this 
Line the annual Sweet clover plants were about six 
inches high. After that they grew rapidly. The 22 
plants varied in height and maturity as they grew 
in the greenhouse, and this difference was shown in 
their seedlings. Some came Into bloom 2% months 
after seeding, while others required 3% months at 
least. At 3V> months the best strains had reached 
a height of 4R» feet. During this same time the 
common or biennial white Sweet clover had grown 
only 12 to 14 inches, while the yellow Sweet clover 
stood eight to 10 inches high. A further comparison 
. D. Hughes, Who Found the New Plant. Fig. 135 
