The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-05-30
ALslkE CLOVER.
A Sure Crop on Any Land on Which
Clover VIII Grow.

Clover win Grow.
Increasing failure OF medium red
clover has brought alsike clover In.
to general notice, says Alva Agee in
National Stockman. There Ia differ
ence of opinion about the degree OF
its ability to thrive on sour land. but
we do know that 1t usually makes O
better showing under adverse condi.
tions that the medium red When
the seed of the two clovers Is mixed
and sown, IL one variety falls II is
sure not to be the alsike. This Glow
er is sure to grow II any kind of Glow
er can grow. II Is very dependable.
believe. to, that while 1t will make
better stand on acid land than the
red, lining helps II greatly. All Glow
ers want sweet soil.
Alsike, when sown for hay, usually
is seeded with timothy or red clover.
Larger yields of hay are secured by
the mixing, and aisike tends to lie
close to the ground when growing
alone. II needs the grass or red Glow
er to hold 1t up. 1t does not grow as
large as the red. and yet this year at
Pennsylvania station | found one
stalk that was four feet five inches
long after being cut off by the now
er. and throughout the field the al
sike stood high amidst the timothy
and red clover. On good land alsike
becomes large clover, yielding a big
lot Of hay.
Alsike is heavy yielder OF seed,
which Ia produced In the first crop OF
the season. and not In the second crop
as Is the case with red clover. sup
pose this Is due in part to its ability
. to be fortified by aid Of the honey
bee. 1t is rated little later than
medium red in ripening--one week
later according to Prof Voorhees,
but often the difference In time is
hardly apparent. This season, when
the alsike is more prominent IN our
meadows than the medium red. the
time Of blooming OF each ia practical
ly the same. Dr. Hunt in his book on
the Forage and Fiber Crops III Am
erica says that there are 100000 all
sike seeds In pound, or nearly dou-
Bile that Of medium red. When mix
ing seed for sowing this difference In
size should be kept in mind. and also
the fact that the mixing should be
by weight and not by volume, the al
slke being much heavier. Where
clover Is wanted with timothy and the
red thrives fairly well, the addition
OF one pound of alsike to each four
pounds OF red Is good practice.
Alsike is not valued quite as high
ly as medium red as fertilizer, hav-
ing q more spreading root System
near the surface. am sire, however
that many people overestimate the
deep roofing of red clover and the
results supposed to be obtained there
by. Red clover does have a heavy
tap root but anchors II well, but the
great part OF the feeding roots of q
red clover plant are In the portion of
the soil which the breaking-plow can
turn. The claim that clover does
much of its good In feeding within
the subsoil has been emphasized too
greatly lit apparently Ii not greatly
the superior Of many ordinary plants
In this respect.
Alsike Is our best clover for per-
manent pastures. II lives several
years, and when pastured off II makes
new growth quickly. This clover Is
recommended for low. wet land. and
l know from experience that 1t has
no equal for such land. but 1t does
finely on well drained soils. 1t Ia
not the equal Of red clover for hay or
fertilizing purposes when the latter
is at It's best. There Is no reason for
substituting II. when the red Is a
thrifty grower. But II Is a pretty
good substitute where substitute is
needed, and 1t is money-maker ais
seed producer in these years Of fail
ure Of red clover seed