The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1917-05-08
Alsike Clover Of
Use in, Wet Places

Washington, D. c., May 8-The pos
sibility that a continuance Of the war
may affect the supplies Of concentrates
for stock feed makes it wise at the
present time to consider growing feeds
rich in proteins- OF such feeds the
U. s. Department Of Agriculture
wishes to call attention to a1sike c1o-
yer as a plant for low wet places.
Analyses show that alsike clover hay
is slightly richer in protein than red
clover, and the hay is fine and well
liked by stock. For dairy cattle es-
pecialIy it is an excellent feed, and a
ration Of alsike hay could partly re-
place a ration Of si1age and concen-
trates where these have been used,
making a saving in concentrates.
When properly cured alsike clover hay
is bright colored and sweet, making
it very palatab1e- The plant being
smooth, the hay is less dusty than red
clover hay. 1t is not advised that
alsike be seeded instead Of red clover
or alfalfa Where these are sue
cessfu1ly grown the farmer would bet
ter stick to the crops he knows will do
well Where, however, land Is sour
and lime cannot be applied, or where
land Is wet and red clover and al
falfa do not do well, a1sike clover. can
be seeded this spring with good prom
Use OF success. Where it is seeded
on worn or sour upland with a grain
nurse crop, there will, of course, be
no cutting the same season, unless
the season should be unusually wet
and long, but when seeded on low,
damp ground, without a nurse crop, a
good cutting Of hay may be expected
the same season Where the land
is weedy 1t will be better to seed with
light seeding Of oats which may be
cut for hay. In this case, too, a cut
ting Of clover hay may be expected
the same season
The Department wishes especially
to call attention to the wet bottoms
that are often waste or weed-over-
grown 1ands- Alsike clover thrives
in such places. In many places in the
South It is very successfully raised on
creek bottoms In some cases such
lands are overhowed more than once
in the season, and are thus risky for
corn or for red clover, but alsike
clover win endure an occasional spell
| under water and st11 make a hay
crop when the land dries again
Nm the North and West there are
1 lII1Ay SWdiOc anu w CT RAA$~So oAA " AAASA
the crop kills out or which are toe
| wet to prepare for corn. Alsike
should do well on such land and re-
| turn a good crop of rich hay. On
| the Patoka River bottoms of Indiana
for example a1sike is reported as hav-
ing made two tons of hay the season
of sowing.
| AS a rule a1sike makes but one cut
ting, but where the land is. rich anc
moist two cuttings may be secured IL
the year following seeding. OF course
only one cutting can be expected the
following season.
| It Is good plan to seed a1sike clio.
yer with timothy, with orchard grass
or with red top. When seeded alone
the stems of the clover lie on thu
ground and make a mat that is diff
| cult to cut. The grass serves to ho1f
the clover up and thus makes cut
ting easier. The mixture Is also NOR
readily cured. A good mixture 70,
such purposes is alsike clover fv
pounds and timothy four pounds. pc
acre; or a1sike clover five pounds AM
orchard grass ten pounds. Such mix
lures will give most a1sfke Glove
with enough grass to bod it up. II
more grass is wanted, increase tn
seeding of grass.
4 Now is the time to attend to thi