When sweet-clover hay is to be stacked it is highly desirable that some sort of foundation be made for the stack, so as to prevent the loss of the hay which otherwise would be on the ground. Several feet of straw or grass are often used for this purpose, but still better is a foundation of rails, posts, or boards placed in such a manner that air may circulate under the stack.
A cover should be provided for the stacks, either in the form of a roof, a canvas, or long green grass. If none of these means is practicable a topping of perfectly green sweet clover will cure with the leaves flat and will turn water nicely.
It is well known that hay made from either red clover or alfalfa will often undergo spontaneous combustion if put into the barn with too much external moisture upon it. No instances of spontaneous combustion in sweet-clover hay have been noted, but this may be due to the fact that comparatively little sweet-clover hay is stored in barns. The same precautions, therefore, should be taken with sweet-clover hay as with red clover or alfalfa.
SWEET CLOVER AS A SILAGE CROP.
In some sections of the country sweet clover is gaining in favor as a silage crop, either alone or in mixtures with other plants. The silage made from this plant will keep better than that made from most legumes, as it does not become slimy, as is so often the case with red clover or alfalfa silage. It produces a palatable feed, which should contain more protein than well-matured corn silage.
Fig. 10.—Filling the silo with sweet clover.
When sweet clover makes sufficient growth after grain harvest, or when seeded alone, it is not necessary to cut it for silage until fall. At this time it may be run into the silo alone or in mixture with corn. Excellent results have been obtained by placing alternate loads of corn and sweet clover in the silo. ([Fig. 10].)
When the first crop the second season is not needed for pasturage, ensiling may prove to be the most economical and profitable way of handling it, as it is necessary to cut this crop for hay at a time of the year when the weather conditions in humid regions are very likely to be unfavorable for haymaking. The large percentage of leaves which usually are lost from shattering when harvesting the hay will be saved when the crop is run into the silo.