Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-12-18
SWEET CLOVER As 4 CROP
FORMERLY CONSIDERED A PEST,
1T is NOW MUCH CULTIVATED.
BY c. B. Hutchinson, Professor Of
Asronomy, College Of Agricul-
ture, University Of Missouri.

The sweet elovers are among the
oldest known plants. but it has been
only within comparatively recent
years that they have come into any
great prominence as cultivated crops.
A great deal of interest is being. man
lfested in this crop by Missouri farm
ers, and, while some still consider it
a pest, others are apparently obtain
ing good results with it.
The two most important species are
white sweet clover, frequently re-
ferred to simply as sweet clover o. as
Bokhara clover, and yellow sweet
clover, Both species are biennial, pro-
ducing tall, erect, branching plants
with coarse, woody stems when ma
ture, and rather sparsely supplied
with leaves. The white-blossomel
species is the larger and more vigor-
GUS growing of the two, making a
growth of from five to twelve feet
during the second year, while the ye'-
low-blossomed kind is more decumb-
ent and spreading, reaching a height
of three to five feet. The white-blos-
somed kind is usually preferred both
for hay and green manuring.
Sweet clover grows in all parts of
the United States and on soils of vari-
ous kinds. In Missouri it grows wild
in waste places and apparently is not
able to compete with other plants un-
der favorable conditions, as it does
not spread into fields or pastures. II
may be sown on most any kind OF
soil, but since it grows so we'll on thin
lands it is most commonly sown there,
the better lands being retained for
other crops.
The fact that sweet clover grows SCI
well in heavy clay soils along the
roadsides indicates that it should be
seeded on a well-compacted seeded,
and this is borne out by the expert
ence Of those who have grown it. H.
may be sown in the spring, eithe"
alone or with a nurse crop, much Ike
red clover, or in late summer or early
fall like alfalfa. Care should be taken
60 have the seeded well-compacted
and to avoid seeding on freshly
ploWed land. If sown Ill the fall, the
land should be plowed early in July
and worked down in good shape by
subsequent disking and narrowing and
seeded the latter parI of August.
Both hulled and unhulled seed are
on the market. 1t usually requires 20
to rs pounds of hulled seed and at
least five pounds more of unhulled
seed an acre. A less amount of seed
would be sufficient were it not for
the fact that often one-half of the
seed, or more, has such hard seed
coats that it does not terminate the
first season, and hence is practically
useless. Two crops of hay, or a nay
and q seed crop, may usually be OBJ
tanned the second season.
The chief value of sweet clover for
Missouri conditions is as a green ma
nuring crop. Being a legume, it has
the power of gathering nitrogen out
of the air and storing it in the soil by
means of the bacteria which live upor
its roots. Since it makes such a heavy
growth and does well on thin lands, II
makes a good crop to turn under tc
improve the soil,
The value of sweet clover as a pas
ture or hay crop is much disputed
Some farmers regard it as practically
worthless and consider it a weed
while others have had good success
with feeding it. Its foliage has a bit
ter taste, due to the cumarin it con
tains. Its stems have a tendency t.
become woody as they mature. If not
allowed to become too rank before
pasturing, O if cut for hay before TIE
first bloom buds appear, these two oh
1%ectionable factors may be eliminated
to a considerable extent, and very
good feed obtained from sweet clover
1t has been found, too, that live stool
will learn to eat it.
Since it is a biennial, sweet clover
may take the place of red clover il
the rotation on those lands where the
latter does not thrive well, but on thu
best lands it cannot compete with
either red clover or alfalfa for hay.
The fact that the bacteria ON it,
roots are capable of inoculating al
falfa has led to the idea that it is {
valuable crop to occupy the land i'm
mediately before seeding alfalfa. Thi'
may be done, but usually lands tina
have never grown sweet clover nee(
incubation for it. as well as for al
falfa. 1t has been found necessary Il
~inoculate the soil on the experiment
station field at the University of Mis-
souri,, Columbia, for sweet clover, ant
even with this p~recaution consider
able difficulty has been experienced
in getting a stand. It is evident, then
that 1t is frequently more difficult L
obtain a good stand than one Nigh
expect from a general survey of thu