Mammoth Clover
Categories:
THE CLOVERS
When clover is grown with timothy for hay, some
farmers prefer to use mammoth clover in place of the medium red. It may
be known as sapling clover, and is accounted a perennial, though it is
little more so than the red. It is a strong grower and makes a coarse
stalk but, when grown with timothy, it has the advantage over the red
in that the period of ripening is more nearly that of the timothy. It
inclines to lodge bad
y, and should be seeded thinly with timothy when
wanted for hay. The roots run deep into the soil, and this variety of
clover compares favorably with the medium red in point of fertilizing
power, the total root-growth being heavier. While its yield of hay,
when seeded alone, is greater than the first crop of the red, its
inclination to lodge and its coarseness are offsets. It produces its
seed in the first crop, and the after-growth is small, while red clover
may make a heavy second crop. Its use should become more general on
thin soils, its strong root-growth enabling it to thrive better than
the red, and the lack of fertility preventing the stalks from becoming
unduly coarse for hay. The amount of seed used per acre, when grown by
itself, should be the same as that of red clover.