The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-03-13

with an average of June Goth. The
yield of hay the second year ranged
from one to two and one-half ton
with an average of 1.8 tons per acre.
Twelve farmers answering the ques-
ton, reported that they had nc
difficulty in getting stock to eat sweet
clover hay. The hay was fed to COWS,
horses, and mules. All report sweet
clover hay as coarse and opinions
vary as to its value compared with
alfalfa hay, but most of those who
made statements figured it almost as
good. Eleven reporting on feeding
sweet clover hay, stated that it does
not faint milk when fed to milk COWS.
Effect on Following Crops.
]. Houston McCroskey and L.. A.
Sheldon were the only growers who
reported on the effect of sweet clover
on following crops. Mr.. Sheldon
states that oats following sweet clover
yielded fully twice as much as oats
from other ground adjoining the
sweet clover land. This was on cut
over land. Mr.. McCroskey had peas
on Is acres following sweet clover.
He states that he had about three
times the foliage that there was on
stubble ground and that the pea
yielded 20 per cent more. He states
that these peas were sown late or
would have almost doubled those on
the stubble ground.
No n had any difficulty in getting
rid of sweet clover and all state that
1T does not act as a weed in this
section. Several stated that they
wished it were as much of a weed
here as it is reported to be in some
other sections.
Seven of the % reporting have
grown more than one field of sweet
clover. Three have grown four; one,
two; and two, three fields.
A wide range of soil and drainage
conditions is covered by those re-
porting. R. j.. Bell, who has sweet
clover on land in Latah county just
east of Pennington, reported on a crop
that was planted on a rocky hillside
where there are out-croppings of rock
and where it was impossible to do a
good job of preparing a seed bed.
The land had never been farmed, but
was plowed in the fall and winter,
and then disked and seeded in the
A good stand was secured
and a lot of pasture was taken from
and that ordinarily gave a little pas
.ure early in the year but was dried
)ut by the first of July. Harry
Bowers, who lives in Whitman county
ust west of Moscow, planted sweet
clover on ground that was described t
IS swampy and secured a good stand
nd plenty of pasture. w. A. Fiscus
nd H. H. Reames of Pot1atch; L.. A. t
sheldon of Princeton; J. B. Hitch and t
M. Garvey of Troy, all have had {
.ood success with the crop on cut c
yer land.
Remarks made by farmers of differ +
Mt localities show best how sweet
lover is regarded by them. Follow
lg are quotations from representative c
DR.. j. S. Thompson, Moscow:
L have had quite a little expert
nee with sweet clover the last several y
About six years ago I seeded o
mixture of sweet clover and alfalfa a
a seepy piece of land. Not know p
lg much about the crop, I let it c.
lossom before cutting it and got p
parse stalks for hay. That winter Of
lie sweet clover was fed to fattening ST
title. After they learned to like it,
ley ~devoured it as radily as alfalfa. cl
clover apparently aided the bl
'ainage of the land for it is not 81
'epy now. The alfalfa grew better vi
ian any new seeding I have sown III
nee. Do not know whether it was is
e sweet clover or just the season.
In the spring of 1921, I seeded
1elve acres of sweet clover without
IVC nrO- ~ IL
d 1T was pastured with sheep that fir
II. Being pastured close by the dl
.eep caused much of it to winter be
IL n in the 1922 season little pas
was available. About thirty-five