If sweet clover is to become an important crop throughout the
North-Central States it must necessarily be seeded with grain. Good
success has been obtained by seeding sweet clover in the spring on
winter grain or with spring grain on soil that was inoculated and not
acid. Seed may be broadcasted in the early spring on winter grain when
the ground is in a honeycombed condition, or it may be sown later when
the ground may be cultivated. A large acreage of sweet clover is sown
in the western North-Central States and in Illinois in the spring with
oats, barley, or wheat as a nurse crop. Early varieties of oats and
spring wheat have given somewhat better results in portions of the
Northwest than barley. In Illinois oats are used almost entirely. Only
a few fields were noted where flax had been used as a nurse crop, but
in these fields it was successful. In wet seasons the sweet clover may
make a growth sufficiently large to interfere seriously with harvesting
the flax. On this account this combination should be tested thoroughly
in an experimental way before being recommended for general field
practice.
In those sections of the country where the moisture supply is limited,
sweet clover should be sown without a nurse crop. Failure to obtain a
stand is more likely to occur when the seed is sown with grain than
when it is sown alone, because during dry weather, which is likely to
occur when the grain is maturing, the supply of moisture in the soil is
apt to be insufficient for both crops. When this condition prevails the
clover will suffer badly and in some cases be killed. When sweet clover
is sown with a nurse crop it is strongly recommended that the grain be
seeded at not more than two-thirds the usual rate. This will give the
sweet clover a much better chance than when a full seeding is made.
When severe droughts occur it may be necessary to cut the grain for hay
if the stand is to be saved.