The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1855-02-28

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"May your rich soil,
Exuberant, natures better blessings pour
Der every land"
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From the Southern Farmer.
What is the Proper time for FalIoW.
ing Glover?
In the Farmer Of last week, we pub
lished valuable communication from our
correspondent "Fliend," on the seeding
II wheat. in which he incidentally touched
on the subject Of following clover. The
operation, he says, should be commenced
"very early, and completed by the lsI Of
September. From the time 10 which
lhe completion is postponed, we feel al
some loss to determine al wha, precise PEE
riod The commencement should be assign
ed. The middle Of July, we believe, has
generally been considered early enough.
BY that time. and indeed much sooner,
lie clover has fully matured, and il il
has not been grszed or moved, The crop
has fallen 10 the earth. exhibiting no signs
Of continued vegetation excepl from the
second growth that may have sprung up
from the crowns OF The plants.
The proper time for following clover is,
we think, subject Of great importance;
and we shall take this occasion 10 offer a
few remarks upon il. and on The general
treatment Of clover crop, mol only as a
preparation for wheat, bul in lis general
relations 10 the economy Of The farm.
In this climate. the clover is in a con-
dilion TO be moved from the lsi 10 the
10Th Of June, according 10 The progress
Of the season. When il is in full flower,
with about one.ihird OF lie heads of a
brown color, il is supposed 10 contain the
greatest quantity OF nulrilve matter, and
10 supply 10 The highest degree all the re-
quiremenls Of The best provender. II the
operation should be postponed until The
see! has ripened, The nnirlliye matter Of
,he plants will have become exhausted,
for as The ehI oi all plsnls is 10 produce
fruit, so the perfection Of The frnil is al
the expense Of every other portion Of ihe
plant. Thus the straw and stalks Of all
our grain crops-wheai, oats, rye. and
corn-sre OF bul liille value as food sfIer
The crop has been harvested. Nor does
clover. or any other Of our hay crops, form
an exception TO this law.
II these premises should be admitted,
and we believe they cannot be conlroyerl-
ed, the conclusion inevitably iollows that
in order to obtain tile greatest amount Of
food icf ,he ensuing crop Of wheat, the
following should be performed al the lime
Wien ihe clover is IN the best condition
10 be moved. lf il is then in The sIsge
TO furnish the richest elements for The
nourishmenl Of animals. il mus, also sup.
ply. al the same lime, the greatest amount
OF those elements necessary 10 tie pro-
tuciion Of future crop. We feel, then.
no hesitation in saying that il II were
practicable. the faliowIng Of cloyef for a
crop Of wheat should be commenced and
completed during the first half Of the
month ol June.
For many reasons, however, il would
be well nigh impossible 10 perform such a
heavy operation al that period. But il
should be entirely practicable with every
larmer, 10 remove tie crop Of clover from
his land. and convert i, into lay. Nor
need he apprehend any exhaustion Of the
land from such course. Previous 10 tie
formation Of lie seed. tie draf, upon the
soil is inconsiderable nourishmeni Of
the plant being derived as much or more
from Tie atmosphere than from the foil.
Hui the energies Of the soil are heavily
taxed. even IN The production Of crop Of
clover seed, amounting, as IL does. 10 not
more than Two or three bushels per acre.
Il is far better then, in every point Of
view, 10 convert the clover into hay, and
depend upon second crop lot following,
Than 10 suffice. lie land 10 Tie exhausting
process OF producing crop Of seed. and
having nothing left 10 repair The loss but
q mass Of dead stalks, which can afford no
more improvement 10 The soil. and 10 The
subsequent crop Of wheat. than an cquaI
quantity of any other dead vegetable matter
no, less susceptible Of decomposition.
lIy pursuing such practice as this
and ialIowing for wheat during tie second
growth Of The clover, which could conye
! nienily be done before the ripening o
what we may call the second crop Of seed
there would be considerable gain. we ar,
convinced, in lhe crop Of wheat. and iii
entire value Of the cloyer hay in addition
Our /. Ffiend'' estimates the increases
product Of his wheat from what lie call
early lallowing, over and above that fror
late following, al from one 10 three bushel
per acre. This. and even more, BY no
LEES Than one.four,ll Of Ile aggregate croT
we have no doubt he could obtain BY ih
mode We have recommended, aud hay
the crop Of hay as 50 much clear gain.