Show Ladino Clover oven Is s New ew Forage o ra e Crop Especially Adapted as Pasture Pasture Pas Pas- ture lie for Rl Rich i Soils and Is Most l Palatable by the th United Slates Department or of Many InquirIes have been receIved by the UnIted States or of I AgrIculture thIs spring regarding La dine clover a new V forage crop that Is being wIdely advertised for or pasturage In the northern and western states Because ot of the publIcIty being given glyen the plant and the evident e nt lack of information Information In- In formation concerning It the tho experience of the Department of Agriculture wIth the variety ma may be of Interest J Ladino clover Is a largo large or giant form ot of the tho famIlIar little whIte or Dutch clover cr common In lawns and pastures It Is probably n a of northern Italy where on the rIch moIst soils In the tho valley vaHey of the Po rIver It has bas long been a favorite fora forage for for- a age e crop Under favorable condItions radino clover forms a dense mass of succulent herbage ten to twenty Inches deep composed of large leaves borne 1 Ji J l J it- it i. i v J 1 J I tS i- i t iY i Y J rf I t Ri i i. i i 1 i ft f f t i i 1 J t I 1 f f oS- oS I N. N t II I ff Ai t t k j M Mt t. t i J t ti s- s I 5 l i F t i ij o S Field of Ladino Clover on long stalks arIsing from creepIng prostrate stems WIth time the exception ot of the seeds all parts ot of time the plant are Identical with those ot of common white clover except that they are much larger Adapted to Rich Solis Ladino clover is 15 especially adapted as a pasture crop for rIch well watered soIls In regions ot of moderate tempera tempera- ture It does not ordinarily succeed on poor soils and It Is particularly sensitive to lack of abundant and contInuous continuous con con- moisture quite near the surface ot of the ground consequently It should not be sown so In localitIes where severe surface droughts are to be expected It withstands extreme cold colli e except on heavy clay soIls not protected by a snow coyer cover in In which case time the plants are lIkel likely to he heave hee e badly In late win win- ter It was formerly belIeved that Ladino clover dId not suffer from hot weather provided It was well supplied wIth water Recent experIence Indicates IndIcates IndI- IndI cates however that the tho plants turn I Ired red under prolonged exposure to hot ot sunlIght and the stand is weakened I In the regions where It succeeds best Ladino clover Is one ot of the most productIve productive pro pro- and nutritious pasture plants known and Is unquestionably one of the most palatable to live lIvo stock Repeated Instances have been reported where a afield field of Ladino clover has carrIed the the equivalent of from two to four head of mature stock per acre continuously from Crom sprIng until fall During this period the production of milk meat or other animal products per acre has been greater than that from an any other permanent grazing plant The fondI fondness fond fond- ness of all kInds of live lI stock for Ladino Ln- Ln I dino clover has been illustrated many tImes b by the animals leavIng good fields of alfalfa red clover or the grasses to feed on the Ladino The palatability of Ladino In fact Is sometimes disastrous disc trous since rabbIts gophers grasshoppers pers and other pests sometimes feed feedon on It so voraciously ns as to destroy it H. Even live e stock and especially horses and sheep sometimes destro destroy the stand hy by too close nibbling ot of the prostrate prostrate pros pros- stems There here Is n a belief bellet that Ladino Ln- Ln dino clover er does not cause bloating of cattle ns as badly ns as other leguminous pastures but this is uncertain So faras far ns as known Imo Ladino clover Is not subject subject sub sub- to serious sellous Injury b by dIseases and Insects except grasshoppers and other I leaf |