Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-02-05

rootS or the sweet clover with the
top six to twelve inches OF the clay
to form new soil capable of pro-
ducing crops that will yield a fair
return for the labor and expense Of
planting, cultivating and harvesting
them.
1t is estimated that there are now
more than a million acres of lands
in Ohio so badly eroded as to be
! worthless; and constant cropping
with corn, wheat and timothy, with
out manuring Of any sort, is stead
lily adding to this area of ruined farm
land. In many cases, close cropping
Of the thin grass on the hillsides by
sheep has encouraged the tendency
to wash, and the beaten paths made
by the sheep soon become gullies.
Having observed that sweet clover
grows luXuriantly in roadside gullies,
in railway cuts and other places
where the clay is exposed the author
of this circular determined to make
test Of its virtues as a restorative
of the abandoned fields denuded of
their soil and washed full Of gullies.
Indeed in Ohio sweet clover is a way
side weed, so easily does it take hold
and so persistently does it hold it's
ground. But, like all members of
the clover family, it takes readily
only to such lands as have a large
content Of lime. 1t has been eXten-
sively used to restore to fertility the
worn-out or rundown cotton planta-
tions Of those portions OF Mississippi
and Alabama having lime soils and
subsoils.
There are four varieties Of sweet
clover, but only two are worthy Of
note. These are the white-fiowered
and yellow-howered. The white, or
melilotus alba, is the larger, more
vigorous and robust OF these two.
Its plants reach a height of 5 to
feet in the second year of it's growth,
covering the ground with an enorm-
GUS mulch, while the roots fill the
ground with an immense Quantity OF
vegetable matter. These roots, ike
the roots of all legumes, harbor bill
lions of bacteria which gather nitro
gen from the air and store it in the
SOIL In the earlier stages Of it's
growth melilotus so closely resem-
bles alfalfa that it is often mistaken
for that plant. It's wide range of
adaptability Is indicated by the fact
that it has been used as a soil reno
vator witch great success in Califor-
mia, Nevada, Colorado, Iowa, Ken
lucky, Mississippi and Alabama. But
in all cases it must have lime; and
If the soil hasn't natural supply OF
lime, then two to four tons per acre
Of ground limestone meal or oyster
shell meal or one to two tons of
slaked lime should be applied.
In the course of the Investigations
made by the author or the circular,
he received 1882 reports from Ohio
farmers in answer to letters sent out
by him asking several qeustions
about melilotus on their farms. In
this way ne found it growing in 88
counties Of that State. More than
nine-tenths Of these reports located
it along roadsides. In less than 4
per cent Of the reports was it located
in pastures, and in less than 2 per
cent was 1t found in cultivated fields.
In 257 cases it was reported as being
graZed by live stock, and 1875 had
found it valuable for hay, while 295
had used it as a soil restorer on
worn-out fields and as a green ma
nure.
Yet the laws Of Ohio until recently
classed melilotus as weed pest and
imposed the duty OF its destruction
upon the owners Of lands adjoining
the highways under severe penalties.
Melilotus gets it's name Of sweet
clover from the fact that when the
plant cures it gives off a vaniIla-ike
Odor and has a like flavor. For this
reason animals must be starved into
using it at first, but they soon acquire
a taste for it and thereafter mani
fest as great fondness for it as the
tobacco chewer for his favorite weed.
For hay, melilotus should be cut
just as it commences to bloom and
should be handled much as alfalfa
is handled. If not grazed, a second
cutting can be made in 40 to 60
days, owing to the weather. The
hay is very rich in both protein and
fat and the yield is heavy.