The Morgan City daily review. (Morgan City, La.) 1916-1920, 1917-06-14
MOST EXCELLENT STAND OF ALsiKE CLOVER.

| prepared by the United States Depart
mant of Agriculture.)
MelilOtus, or sweet clover, grow
luxuriantly in soil well supplied wit
lime. 1t is one of the greatest sol
builders among leguminous plants.
grows vigorously on very thin land i
lime Is present. and if undisturbed, at
ter being well seeded, will restore bar
rem and depleted soils to a state o
productivity.
MelilOtus Is abundant in the black
prairie region Of the South, even wher,
the lime rock is only thinly covered
with soil.
There are three varieties of melilo
tus-the biennial white, the biennia
yellow and the annual yellow. Tht
| last named Is Of little value.
Melilotus generally should be sowr
In February and March at the rate OF
20 pounds per acre Of hulled or one
half bushel Of unhulled seed. Both bi.
ennial varieties make q fairly good
growth the first season. live through
the winter and mature seed the second
season. after which the plant dies.
After field is once. thoroughly seeded,
both the first and the second years
growths occupy the ground each sea-
son.
In Kentucky and other states Of like
latitude where melilotus Is well estab-
ltshed 1t Is common to pasture lightly
until the second years growth Is ap-
preaching maturity, when the stock ID
removed and the crop Is later cut as
hay or allowed to mature as q seed
crop. In states well to the South one
cutting for hay is commonly made the
first season after sowing and two or
three cuttings during the second sea-
son. When cut early before the STEMS
are hard and woody. melilotus hay is
Of good quality and valuable for feed
ing. The flavor of the plant. however,
both green and cured, is such that ami
mails often will not eat it until trained
to do so.
Red Glover.
Red clover, which is a very promi
nent leguminous crop in the North, is
not well adapted to the southern eli
mate. However, on fairly fertile soils
rich In lime, such as the alluvial and
black prairie lands and well-drained
river bottoms, red clover makes a good
hay crop for one or two seasons.
For the far South red clover should
be sOwn about the middle of Septem-
Der on thoroughly prepared seed bed.
No nurse crop should be used in this
section. In the northern part Of the
cotton belt seeding is sometimes sue
cessful when done on grain fields In
early spring. About twelve pounds Of
seed per acre should be used. When
red clover yields well in the South.
from two to three cuttings Of hay Of
from one to one and One-half tons each
may be expected.
On some soils not well adapted to red
clover good application Of lime fire.
luently enables the crop to grow sue /
Alsil<e Glover. :
In manner and growth alsike clover i
. midway between red clover and white
.lover. It will do fairly well on some ,
oils where red clover fails for need Of |!
lime. It also grows ON some soils
which are too poorly drained for sue !,
'ess with red clover. It is 4 good plant
or use in mixed pastures, and under
adorable conditions its growth IL such !,
. to produce fairly good yields for
lay. The practice Of mixing alsike i
nd red clover Is advisable. /
vetcheoL
The vetches are the strongest grow
ag annual winter legumes and furnish !
plendid winter pasture and hay. Hairy
etch and common vetch are both ex-
client to use In mixture WITH oats or
ye winter pasture. Narfow-leafed
etch IL best to use in permanent pas
ire mixtures. When used with winter
ats or rye about one bushel Of the
rain and from one peck to q half
nshel Of vetch should be sown during II
eptember or October. Hairy vetch IL
lrdier than common vetch, but the
,ed Is expensive. When grown for
le first time on a field the soil should :
} inoculated. II
When pastured In winter, the stock I
lould be removed from the vetch, or
Itch mixture, fairly early in the spring
permit growth for good cutting Of .
~, or covering of green manure.
hen cut during April or May enough |
the vetch seed will often shell and =
after to reseed the soil. 7,
Crimson Glover. q
Crimson clover is a winter annual .
ell adapted as cover crop in Sec =
ons where it does well. It is grown !,
ost abundantly on the coastal plain =
lis from New Jersey to South Caro- n,
Ia and near the coast still farther :
nth. Its extent has increased very =
st In late years and 1t Is now grown q