Transcriber Note Emphasis is denoted as _Italics_ and =Bold=. =CRIMSON CLOVER= LEAFLET No. 160 U.S.DEPARTMENT of AGRICULTURE Issued June 1938. Revised January 1947 =CRIMSON CLOVER= By E. A. Hollowell, senior agronomist, Division of Forage Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Administration =Contents= Page Adaptation 3 Seedbed Preparation 3 Fertilizers 3 Seed Sources and Varieties 4 Dixie Crimson Clover 4 Rate and Time of Seeding 5 Inoculation 5 Unhulled Seed 5 Companion Crops 6 Diseases and Insects 6 Utilization 6 Seed Production 7 [Illustration: Figure 1.--Principal crimson clover regions of the United States. The dotted area shows where crimson clover was generally grown before 1938. The cross-hatched area shows where production can be extended by using favorable cultural and fertilizer treatments and adapted varieties.] CRIMSON clover (_Trifolium incarnatum_) is the most important winter annual legume of the central section of the Eastern States. This crop can be grown over a much larger area by using seed of adapted varieties for each section, by using better cultural methods, and by fertilizing the soil (fig. 1). Besides being an excellent pasture plant and furnishing plenty of hay, it protects the soil during fall, winter, and spring, prevents soil washing, and provides green manure for soil improvement. This legume has the distinct advantage of producing large quantities of seed that can be easily harvested and sown without the use of expensive machinery. Crimson clover is a native of Europe and is widely grown in France, Hungary, and other central and southern European countries. Seed was introduced into this country as early as 1819, but it was not until 1880 that the plant became important. The acreage has been steadily increasing. During the 5-year period 1940-45 the annual purchase of seed through markets in the United States has ranged from 6 to 18 million pounds. In 1935 about 2 million pounds were used. In addition, large quantities of home-grown seed are handled from farm to farm.