Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-02

The few seeds / received, came after my
spring seeding, and in looking for place 10
plant them, / saw a rough border by the
fence, where | had plowed a recently cleared
feld-having set the fence nearer the wood
than / could work the pillow On this spot
| scattered the seed, and worked the ground
a little with a hoe. The clover still holds
possession Of the spot and as the field has
now been moWn several years, il has some
times been cut with the hay, in other years
cut for seed. As an experiment, while
seeding field to grass, ] soEed one square
rod in the middle with Asike clover.
cut It for seed three years In succession,
each crop being a luxuriant one The
grasses then worked in, but the Alsike was
still there at the last hayiBg-which was, /
think, the sixth crop.
Last season 1 had half an acre Of clean
Alsike, that attracted much attention from
larmeIs, many estimating it at one and a
half tons Of hay on the half acre. cut it
for seed, and think it would rather exceed
than fall below the estimate. This wss on
land that never had received any manure,
except with the barley crop in 1866, when
the clover was sown, and on the clover in
| 1867, 100 pounds Of Cumberland super
phosphate was sown each year. Having
had a. opportunity OF observing this clover
10 a small way, aud 10y noting it carefully
az hay and "a forage for soiling, | can
| only conclude that it Is plant admirably
J adapted 10 this State, and one possessingsO
many excellent qualities a. TO render it
worthy Of special effort to extend its cult
walton. If anything / should say here,
| encourages a careless farmer to try the AL
| sike clover alone for a hay crop, / would
have him understand that he had better
let it alone unless he can give his field 80
| smooth surface that his scythe or machine
| can cut low, az the clover, ii of any great
weight, is sure to lodge pretty dat.
| Compared with the two other cloYers be-
| fore known to us, the Alsike differs 40 as
| to disclose to me the following character
| istics
Let. 1t is hardy, more permanent than the
red clover, aud retains its hold many
| years.
ID. 1t branches very much-throws out
many stalk from one root; thus affording
a good crop with thin seeding. Indeed,
think il should be sown thin, that the roots
may have room, 80 as to obtain strength to
strike deep into the subsoil.
Sd. 1t bears cropping by cattle well;
thus proving its adaPiability to pasturage.
4th. il continues longer in condition to
| be cut "a hay than any other forage plant
! know. 1t throws out Ia great number Of
| heads from each stalk, coming into bloom
| excessively for a month or more. When
the most of the heads are ripe, the stalks
aud leaves are still in condition to make
excellent hay. My seed crop has always
made good fodder after the seed has been
| threshed off
9Th | believe it to be the best honey
plant in the world. Much attention has
been given to the habits Of the honey-bee
in regard to its choice of flowers and to
| quantity and quality Of the honey stored in
different portions of the season. We often
/ see a new plant recommended for Cultiva-
| tion specially for the bees. / think bee
keepers now generally agree that the sur
| plus honey is all, or very nearly all stored
during the bloom of the white clover.
From all other flowers including buck
wheat, but little more is gathered than Is
consumed daily. | have for several years
had on my place plat Of Alsike clover be-
side one Of the white | have often called
the attention Of people TO the working bees
on the two plats; and it was always easy to
see that the Alsike had the greater attrac-
ton. Equal areas usually showed twice
the number OF bees on the Al7ike. The
blooming season ia longer on the Alsike,
The heads are also more numerous on that
variety. field Of Alsike clover is the
best Patrouized bee-pasture | have ever
seen-exceeding that Of an orchard in full
bloom. | am sure that, in a neighborhood
Of Alsike clover fields, bee-keepers would
not be searching for other plants for their