Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-11-01
THRIVE ON SWEET CLOVER
Farmers Now Planting What Was
Once Called q Weed.
IT IS GOOD FOR MILK COWS
VIII Provide More Feed Per Acre
Than Any other Form of Grass
Used In This section of
the County.

More and more the opinion is growing
among farmers and agricultural experts
that a new epoch In Nebraska farming
and farm values Is dawning with the de-
yelopment OF sweet clover farming. This
plant known also as '1ucerne," was long
rejected by the farmers OF Nebraska. as
well as all over the world. BY farmers
generally Il was practically classed with
the weed group. IL was regarded an u
pest II grew rank along the roadside
and along irrigation bitches in the west
ern part OF the state. In vain farmers
tried TO XIII II. II was long thought that
no stock would eat II. n many places
along tho irrigation bitches whore moist
ure was abundant It grew as high as
seven feet. with stems as large as those
Of the sunflower. Bees were attracted
to It, but no stock would eat the great
stems. Farmers used to cut these stems
with old grass mowers. afraid TO risk
their new mowers on the hard stems.
They stacked II and set fire TO the hay.
as stock would not eat the stems
stock Thrivcs on II.
Within the last few years Il was found
that stock will eat the hay and thrive
on II II II Is cut young enough. before
the stems get hard That was a dlf-
ferent thing. II has been found that
mich cows Will increase their flow OF
milk on sweet clover pasture or sweet
clover hay.
Farm demonstrators in the several
counties where such demonstrators are
now working are looking favorably on
the sweet clover plant. Dozens Of farm
ers In the state who for years have lain
awake nights fearing the sweet clover
weed" would XIII the native grass or
the bluegrass In their pastures are now
paying fancy prices for sweet clover
seed 70 seed pastures.
! Excursions through the best agricul-
turai districts OF the state have recently
revealed some splendid results attained
with sweet clover. ]. III. Fundum Of
Madison county. eight miles southeast
OF Battle Creek. has ten-acre tract OF
sweet clover that he seeded last year
Since the early part OF July Mr.. Fundum
has pastured four cattle and five horses
on this ten-acre tract There Is an album
: dance OF feed there yet II stood the
irouth splendidly.
Frank Murphy, also OF Madison county
has a slxteen-aere tract OF sweet clover
which has pastured an average of tive
mature animals to the acre. or thirty
two animals all summer. Besides this he
cut several good loads OF hay from one
corner OF the field where tho clover grew
most rank.
Does Not BIOat stock.
Sweet clover has one great advantage
over alfalfa, according 70 the farmers
who have had experience with II and
that Is that 1t does not so readily cause
oloating as does alfalfa when pastured
in wet weather. Mr. Murphy says neve,
but once did he have any trouble with
bloating. This was after Il had beer
raining for a week and his cattle hat
pastured on the sweet clover all the time
Three cows out OF fifteen on the field
bloated. but none OF them died
Fred Tegler OF Meadow Grove, In Madi
son county, has a seven-acre tract Fol
three weeks after August l he pasturee
thirty hogs and forty shoats on THU
seven-acro tract. Then, as the ground
vas somewhat sandy. It was easy re otinr
for the hogs. and he had TO remove then
Tor time, not on account OF lack OF
feed. but because they were roofing Out
The plants He put his cows on the sweet
clover after they had been on the native
grass pasture most OF the summer. The
result was that they doubled their milk
flow at once.
:. NJ. switzer on hts Madison county
farm has twenty-four-aere tract. A
part OF II he seeded along. with rye and
part with oats. The rye yielded ten
bushels TO the acre and the oats sixty
three bushels Now that these two crops