Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1924-04-10
Italian Clover
Is Not Favored
Not Sufficiently Resistant to
Cold Weather and Is Sus-
ceptible to Disease.
prepared by the United States Department
~ A orrin1tIt11ra 4

SuLnclently resistant to cold weather
and is particularly susceptible to dis
ease, DR.. A. J. Peters and Mr. Edgar
Brown of the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture addressing the
meeting of the Wholesale Grass Seed
Dealers at Chicago, recommended that
no red clover seed of italian origin be
imported and that in certain sections
where the winters are severe, no for
eign-grown red clover seed be used.
Observations and careful tests made
in many parts of the country by the
department and state experiment sta
tions have provided ample proof that
these recommendations are justified.
Wherever Italian red clover seed
has been tried, with the exception Of
the Pacific Northwest, the result has
been low yields or total failures in
most cases, and when unusually favor
able conditions produced a fairly sat
isfactory first crop there was little
second growth. Where winter condi-
tions are not so severe or where the
snow covering has afforded protection
against the cold the other foreign red
clover has done fairly well, and be-
cause the supply of homegrown seed
is not sufficient 1t is necessary to use
Il.
Yields Compared.
Actual tests at a number Of stations
show how seed from various sources
produces in the United States. At
Ashland, Wis, red clover from Chile
produced a first cutting of BIT tons
per acre; French seed produced 90
TONS Bohemian, 81 tons; and home
grown seed from Idaho, Tennessee,
Wisconsin, Ohio and Oregon averaged
2s3 tons. Here the heavy SHOWS COW
ering reduced the effect of the severe
winter. At Spooner, Wis, where con-
ditions were more severe last year, the
Chilean seed produced 1.94 tons; the
French, 194; Bohemian, 1.97, and
United States seed 2.19 tons per acre.
AT Marshfield, Wis, the yields of all
lots were less, Chilean producing 1.6
tons, French 1.5, Bohemian Ia and
United States lie tons. At East Lam
sing, Mich, the Michigan seed pro-
R1uced 2.46 tons, other United States
seed yielded 218; Chilean produced
2.52 tons French 225, and Bohemian
194 tons. The clover grown from
Michigan seed made a stronger seed
growth than any of the others, al
though the European, with the excep-
ton of the Italian, did very well.
At College Park, Md, Chilean seed
made 2.82 tons seed from Ohio pro-
duced 294 tons; French seed 2.46; Bo-
hemian 20S Maryland seed 2.42; and
Tennessee 2.22. At Blacksburg, Va,
Chilean seed produced LOT tons
French 1.35; Bohemian 1.19; and a
number of lots from different parts of
she United States averaged 159 tons.
At the State college, Pennsylvania, the
foreign clovers, except the Italian, out
yielded that grown from American
seed, but whether or not this was due
to some unusual circumstance has not
yet been determined.
Results have shown that in most
cases American red clover seed is more
satisfactory than foreign grown seed,
but the crop grown here is insufficient
to meet the demand. An average an
nual importation of 100000 pounds
Is needed to make up the deficiency Of
red and alsike seed. Il all foreign seed
were poor the department would not
recdinmend its Importation even in the
face of the great shortage, but tests
have shown that certain strains do
well here in certain sections where
the weather is not too severe. There
lis great need to increase the produc-
ton of clover seed in this country.
Much Seed Imported.
It was brought out before the seed
dealers that between July /, 1923, and
January 10, 1924, more than 100000
pounds of red clover seed had been
Imported, and that nearly 100000
pounds Of it had been brought from
italy. In addition, about 100000 of
the seed shipped from other parts of
Europe is thought to have originated
in Italy. Considering the known. and
suspected Italian seed, it seems that
about s per cent of the imported red
clover seed is Of the kind which will
not produce a satisfactory crop except,
possibly, in the Pacific Northwest. The
seed importation act administered by
the Department Of Agriculture, makes
certain requirements as to purity,
presence of weed seeds and vitality,
but these requirements do not make 1t
possible to bar this seed which is
germinable enough and clean enough,
but not adapted to our conditions.
The representatives of the depart
ment called the attention Of the seed
dealers to the prevalence of anthrac-
nose disease Of red clover, which is
sometimes severe from Washington, D.
c.. to Tennessee and northern Ala
bama. It affects the second crop of
all clovers, foreign and domestic, and
even the first crop may be destroyed.
There are resistant strains and it is
important that they be developed and
the seed put on the commercial mar
ket. At present most Of our northern
grown domestic seed is as liable to
this disease as the imported strains
with the exception of the Italian,
which is the most susceptible.
At present the only protection for
the farmer is to insist on information
as to the source Of the red clover seed
offered for sale and in buying only
from reliable firms and organizations.
- TA.Tto-, roo5 gC cold &c dom oY.