SWEET CLOVER 
825 
the conclusion that every farmer can and 
should have a hog pasture like it. Every 
one around here who has come to my knowl¬ 
edge is very enthusiastic over the success, 
and is securing new supplies of seed to be 
sown next spring. This fact speaks louder 
than any other. My seed is all sold. 
One authority advises mowing the second 
season, if the white clover threatens to get 
too tall and grow woody. The guards on 
the mower should be turned very high in 
order to prevent killing any of the plants. 
No injurious effects on the stock can be 
noticed. On the contrary, it prevents bloat 
in cattle. After feeding it a number have 
reported that their cattle were troubled 
with very little digestive disorders. 
“At one time when we fed our three 
Jerseys for several weeks on sweet clover 
and bran, we decided that it made a little 
nicer butter than anything else.” This is 
from J. A. Green, Boulder, Col. 
Care should be taken in pasturing stock 
on sweet clover that they do not crop it so 
closely that it has no chance to bloom. 
They should be given a field so large that 
the plants will be able to reseed themselves. 
Fortunately the plant, particularly the yel¬ 
low biennial, is not easily discouraged. 
valuable for hay. 
Hay made from the sweet clover when 
the plant is in the right stage of growth, 
and properly cured, some farmers think 
equal to the best quality of hay from the 
cowpea vine or any of the clover family. 
It does not bring as much on the market 
per ton as clover or clean timothy, but it 
is often used instead of these. 
The quantity of hay to the acre is re¬ 
markable. The Utah Experiment Station 
found in 1892 that sweet clover produced 
more than double the yield of the clover 
and grasses compared with it. Other sta¬ 
tions have reported phenomenal yields. 
Very complete directions for handling 
sweet clover for hay have been given by 
Frank Coverdale of Delmar, Iowa, who is 
perhaps the best authority on sweet clover 
in this country. 
SWEET CLOVER AS A HAY CROP. 
When I first began to grow sweet clover I 
had little thought of ever using it for a hay 
crop; but as time passed I began to see that 
it would answer very well as a dry feed. We 
experimented with one patch, and, contrary 
to what I had expected, a fine hay crop of 
superior quality was secured. The first field 
that we tried had been sown about the first 
week in May, and had been pastured to hogs 
until August, when all hogs were taken off. 
By October 10 the sweet clover stood 22 
inches high, and then the mower was started. 
Just as soon as the hay was well wilted (but 
not dry enough to put in barns) it was raked 
into windrows and shaped into well-formed 
small cocks. These cocks, by the way, were 
just large enough so that they could be 
thrown on the rack in one good fork-load all 
at one time. This avoided scattering the 
leaves, which are as valuable as so much 
wheat bran. From this the reader will see 
the importance of putting up the hay so that 
it is not too dry when handled. All the 
handling, in fact, should be done while it is 
green and tough, when it can be gotten into 
cocks before any leaves will be scattered 
around. It should stand in cocks until it is 
sufficiently cured to keep in the mow. We 
have always found that this clover has kept 
well when managed in this way. 
White sweet clover is the worst of any of 
the clovers that I know of to scatter its 
leaves when overdry; and the leaves being 
thick and meaty are surpassed by those of 
no other legume. A dairyman is lucky who 
has a good winter supply of first-year sweet 
clover hay for his cows. 
The cocks referred to will stand many 
rains and still be very good feed. The 
Boots have had sweet clover exposed to 
rainy weather for several weeks after it had 
been cut. After it stopped raining it was 
gathered up and put into the barn. Strange 
to relate, the cows and horse, after all this 
wetting down, preferred it to good timothy 
hay. Sweet clover sheds water better than 
common clover, and it has a smooth stem. 
The common red clover, because of its hairy 
stem, holds moisture, and quickly turns black 
and becomes unfit for feed. I have been 
happily surprised to find that this first-year 
hay cures the nicest of any that I have made. 
I know of no other clover that can be 
depended upon to make a good hay crop the 
same year as sown.* It has often been tall 
enough to mow in July; but at this time it 
would be very dangerous to mow it unless 
care were taken; for as yet there are no 
crown sprouts started; and if one mows the 
clover close to the ground in July, much of 
it will be killed outright. On this account, 
if one wishes to mow the first clover in 
July, or before the crown sprouts start, the 
machine must be set so as to cut high enough 
to leave stubbles that have a few leaves to 
make a start for the next crop. When the 
crown sprouts are started, the mower may 
be run close to the ground with perfect 
safety. These crown sprouts on the first- 
year crop will be seen close to the roots after 
* This was written before the new annual white 
sweet clover was discovered. 
