The Idaho recorder. [volume] (Salmon City, Idaho) 1886-1927, 1915-10-08
SWEET CLOVER

Sweet clover, which is so comm mon
along foadsides and in waste places
10 many parts of the country, is ran.
Idly gaining in favor as a cultivated
Crop. This is due to its value for
soil Improvement, for pastures. and
FOR hay. There are three species of
sweet clover commonly uond in the
United States. The biennial yellow.
Powered pecies (Melilotus ofiicinalis)
and the biennial white-fo Sered spe-
cies tMeliIotus alba are valuable
over wide area, while the annual
sllOW-fiowered species tMelilntus
lndicsl is of little economic impor-
lance except In the extreme south
and southwest, where it is grown as
winter cover and green-manure
crop. With the exceptions of a few
localities, white sweet clover is grown
almost entirely. This Is due to the
fact that 1t yields more forage ard
produces larger roofs than the other
species. The viii e-howered species
Is ordinarily referred to as sweet Glow
or, while the other two species are
called yellow sweet cloerv.
Sweet clover resembles alfalfa
when young, but can be distinguished
from 1t by its bitter taste, its smooth
shiny leaves, and later, when In
bloom, by the long, loose splke.like
arrangement of white flowers in con-
trast to the close purple clusters Of
alfalfa flowers. One of the most
notable features of sweet clover is its
root system. During tile first season
of growth the roots often reach di.
ameter of one.half inch at the crown
of the plant. On account Of the
tieshy character of the roots, large
quantity Of vegetable matter Is ADDED
to the soil, even when the tops Of the
palms are removed lOI nay.
There are few plants which will
put waste land or rundown farms in
to condition for producing crops as
quickly as sweet clover. Its value
for this purpose is recognized in Ala
bama and Mississippi, and also in
parts of Kentucky and Ohio On ac-
count of the root development OF this
plant, large quantities OF vegetable
matter are added to the soil when a.
field of sweet clover is plowed. The
root system alone has been estimated
to be about 20 tons OF green weight
per acre Tor good growth OF sweet
clover. In some parts of the country
IL has been used In a small wy as
green. manure crop, the second years
growth being plowed under. by
turning under a crop Of sweet clover
or nnlg the stubDle, marked gains are
obtained In the following crop.
Sweet clover is a very good winter
coyeT crop in that it prevents The
soils from gullyi9g and washing. 1t
also takes up large quantities OF
available fertilizers which would .
nrobably leach out Of the soil during
the winter. On account Of the large .
t,p-roots Of sweet clover plants, p I .
assium and PHOSPHORUS may be tax
on np in the subsojl aud dep sited,
at least in part, in the surface soil
when the roots decay.
Since sweet clover is biennial
like red clover, 1t 5 readily adapted
n similar rotations. Sweet clover
w,n undoubtedly prove 70 be 'aiu-
,tl. COD as a sulB tut q red clover
in the'ordinsry farm rotations where
"a lever will no longer grow. 1T
nav he seeded IN the spring on gram
= red clover is sOwn. When seeded
= mi. manner some pastursge will
NJ produced that fall in the north
"a pssturage or ray crop 10 tie
n,b The folloSIng season it pro-
,ncss two crops in the north ana
- .rops I'm the south. II may De
,andIed in . manner similar 70 feo
lover. -,,,-. ,u,i,g
4 - ~