Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-10-16
Sweet Clover.

The value of sweet clover as soil
ing crop has long been known and
appreciated in the East and South.
As nitrogen gatherer it excels all
other legumes. In his reports on in
vestigations DR.. Cyril G.. Hopkins says
that an acre will yield ga tons of dry
matter, of which 228 pounds is nitro
gen, and that the amount grown on
one acre will furnish as much nitrogen
and humus as % tons of average farm
manure.
Prof. J. M. Westgate, agronomist,
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, says sweet clover makes an ex-
cellent pasture for hogs. A sufficient
number should be kept on it to keep
it cropped close so that at all times
there will be an abundance of fresh
shoots for grazing. An acre will sup
port twenty shoats besides furnishing
light cut of hay.
DR.. ]. J. Haskell, in an address be-
fore the Kansas Dry Farming Associa-
tion at Garden City, Kansas, June 5
last, said: "For pasture, sweet clover
is valued highly by the stockmen of
this vicinity. 1t is the first available
pasture in spring, starting little be-
fore alfalfa. Two years ago this spring
there were 1000 head of cattle in our
locality grazing on sweet clover for
two weeks before another green thing
appeared" Answering a question
about the danger of bloating the
stock, Mr.. Haskell said "The Allen
Bros. of Harland, Kan, shipped 1000
head of cattle from Florida were they
had never eaten fsweet clover, and
turned them on sweet clover pasture
The first day they picked out and ate
other plants, but after the second day
all were eating sweet clover. These
cattle had been ON the road eleven
days and were very thin and weak
} in fact, in the best condition to bloat
easily, but not one bloated Not il
their several years. experience have
the Aliens had any animal bloat or
sweet clover.
For hay, the first years growth car
be left until it is we'll matured before
3 cutting, as it does not form sucl
course woody stalks as it does in the
second year. The old growth should
be cut for hay just before the bloom
appears. The crop is harvested mucl
J as is alfalfa, but all possible carr
s should be used to prevent the leave
I from shattering, as they are the mos
valuable portion of the plant.
Sweet clover delights in hard, com
pact soils, exposed subsoils, stronl
situations, and conditions too advers
for most other plants to thrive. Swee
clover grown in comparison with 9th
4 er plants used as green manures usual
Q ly adds much more humus- forming
material to the soils than any Others
y Sweet clover is biennial; 1t is easil
q restrained and can not be considere
T noxious weed. Sweet clover make
9 good hay If cut just before it blooms
! and is nutritious pasture for horses
. cattle, sheep and hogs, II Craze
while growth is young; it thrives bet
! in soils rich in lime; it can be seede
3. on the bare ground in Januar,
" February or March, with oatsin Apr
IS or alone on prepared ground in Ma!
or at the end of summer as is ofte
done with alfalfa. Sweetclover willhel
= solve the problem Of abandoned field
:. twill help heal the scars on washed an
y gullied fields and make green pasture
possible where barren clay knobs no
prevail. Illinois Farmers Institute.