Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1866-06-27
Agricultural.
Haytng Clover.

Many let this crop stand too long on the
pretext that 1t will p" till up and become
stouter- We think they make d mistake, and
that they lose more from the consequent waste
of leaves and blossoms from over ripeness thar
they gain IN weight of crop. Clover shoulo
not only be cut before it is ripe, but cureo
with the utmost care, and so to preserv.
the succuleneJ OF lie foliage. Many will say
cut Is in the blossom, and the question comes
q what stage of the blossomIng, for 1t is well
known ;hat IN field of clover. only par
OF It comes out at a time, and il continues IL
throw out blossoms for many days in success
sion.
Ii the farmer has moving machine and
has, by means of lie, full control over his hay
harvest. he may venture to let 1t stand lit
tie Logger than one who relies wholly on the
scythe. For the latter we should say begin
early. Don't wait to get out half the bios
SONS even, for if you do, you will find your
self late for the other grass and be driven by
your work instead OF driving that, as every
farmer should. On this subject of clover
practical farmer as, quoted in FIints Grasses
and Forage Plants, rays g cut my clover
before the heads begin to turn 6ro,On. Wbe1
the clover Is quite neavy | cut It when only
one-hslf the heads have blosson,ed because
then cattle will eat all the Stems. Clover is
injured more by half when it stands long after
biOssoming than any other grass. | find my
clover hay in the barn much heavier when
cut quite early.
Everybody knows that rowen, particu larly
when there Is large admixture of clover IL
it, is the best feed for sheep, and of its nutra
tive qualities there can be no question. Why
not then cut and cure our clover so to
make it much like rowen as possible1 To
effect this 1T must be cut rather early, and on
most early lands the sooner you beg in now the
better.
But not only should clover be taken early
and before it has turned brown and become
hard, the mode of curing it diff rs essentially
from that OF the grasses proper We spread
and dry the natural grasses as rapidly a. pos
sIble, and some farmers dry them much as
possible, and lose half their value in doing it.
Not so with clover Experience has proved
that this method is not applicable TO clover.
lie takes longer to cure 1t properly, and 1t IL
aposi'Ive injury to expose 1t long to scorcb-
ing sun, where It's juicy leaves would soon
turn brown and lose much of their sweetness,
when loss in handling from the extreme brit
tleness of the dry plant would de inevitable.
This loss must be guarded against with care,
and the method of curing in the cock has been
adopted with success and Is now almost uni
versally practiced by the best firmers.
In he work on grasses already alludei t.
we find many communications from practical
farmers on this point and it is of 50 much
Importance just at this particular time that
We propose to present some of them. A "a
mes writing from Worcester County says
- prefer to NOW clover when it is dry, free
from dew, let it wilt, and the same day it is
mown fork IL into cocks which will weIg /
from forty to fifty pounds when fit for tn
barn. Do lot rake and roll it, that pre-.
cess will compress 1t too much. Accor ding
10 the weather and my convenience l let
stand-it will settle and turn the rain very
well, and will answer to put into the NOV
while the heads and stalks are yet green anc
fresh When fit to cart, the stalks although
green, will be found to be destitute or nearly
70 OF sap-the sap has candied and the clover
will keep. On the day of cartIng turn the
cocks over, expose the bottom to the sun al
hour or so, and to ton of bay add from foul
- six quarts of salt in the NOV. Good clio
ver-not rank-cured in this way, | conside
To be far preferable to Timothy for miici
COWS. 1t will keep up the quantity Of mill
while Timothy will diminish 1t. "
Another farmer in the same county, a prao
teal man of long experience, says: NJ.
method of curing clover is this; what is mowr
in the morning 1 leave in the swath, to b
turned over early in the afternoon. Abou
four o'clock, or while 1t Is stlil warm, Pu
Il into email cocks with e fork, and II tn
weather Is favorable IL moy oo no~oo~ VI"
fourth or fifth day, the cocks being turnet
over on the morning of the day 1t is TO b
carted By 90 dome all the heads sndAeavs'
are saved and these are worth more than th
stems This has been my method for the la
ten years. For new mich COWS in winter
think there is nothing better. 1t will max
them give as great dow of milk as any be,
unless it be good rowen.
A good farmer IN Hsmpshirs County, wroe'
70 the Secretary of the State Board OF Ayr
culture e follows on this point . l. car
hardly state my own opinion Of curing clover
When the weather bids fair to be good, NOV