Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-08-07
farm, 6afafn & 9oilsfhold.
eR0KING eLoYER SEED.

,.honJd grow more clover seed, not the least
inportant is to have plenty Of seed to SOW.
Few farmers will SOW as much clover seed
when It is bought at a high price, as when
thew have raised good crop; either some
field or part Of a field that ought to be seed
ed. will have to lie over, or if all land in
proper condition is sown, there if often a
rather light seeding-''it costs so much for
seed The greatneed ofimproving the soil,
and the well known value of clover as a rem
ovatine crop, show that this is poor economy.
There is more or less lost, in the quantity
and quality OF the crops grown from such
sos5ing. SO that to save one dollar in seed,
len dollars in products are often sacrificed.
The best remedy for this is to grow plenty of
seed then, when disposed to seed literally,
the farmer will not be prevented by any draft
on the pocketbook,
Another good reason is that clover seed, II
well managed, is a profitable crop-more so,
in fact than most farmers appear to be aware
Of. They do not seem to consider that usual
" two crops are grown in year-one of hay
and one Of seed: and that chese crops are Of
Ten Of considerable yalue-say an average of
u tons Of hay, worth, at $40 ton, Sl5, and
2l bushels of seed, at So bushel, also SIS,
making $50 to an acre in one season. And
these are only ordinary crops; often two tons
Of hay and four or five bushelsof seed-seven
bushels have been grown in this way in this
country-are srown to the acre, while prices
are often much higher giving from $40 tC
$50 per acre for hay and seed.
Tbisis the usual way Of growing the small
kind, The other variety, being larger and
liter Dlant, requires different management.
There is not so much of this kind grown, but
tbe price being higher, now and then farmer
makes it profitable. a friend Of the writer is
apite successful with this yariety-bis gener-
al average being FIVE bushels per acre. Last
season be grew forty three and one half bush
els on eight acres-nearly five and one half
bushels per acre. This seed has probably
sold for some IS or 50 q bushel, which, with
the pasture-itis fed close up to the 10th Of
June. and the seed comes of easily in Septem-
ber-makes It a very profitable crop; and this,
700. it should be remembered, is grown with.
cut any expense for fitting the land or other
cultivation.
How many farmers do a large amount of
work, in fitting and cultivating land for grain
crops. that do not return half the money!
And how few are the farmers that make their
Grain crops realize better returns! The one
referred to is a full better farmer than the
average, and grows more or less wheat,
barley corn and cats; and it is very doubtful
whether any one of those grain crops average
rs much money per acre, one year with an
other, as his clover seed. And yet, while all
of the grain crops are expensive for cultiva-
ton and seed, clover seed, in reality, costs
nothing for either, the clover giving a consid-
cradle profit in the second years crop, and
improving the soil over all expense for seed
and use of land. There is, in fact, no cultiva-
ton required; making the land in good condi-
ton for wheator barley is the best preparation
for clover seed.
And then, there is no great difficulty in
growing clover seed, although many fail, or
come short Of the best results, because the
different operations are not attended to in
their proper season. Farmers are careful to
harvest wheat and other grain crops in their
proper season; but leave clover standing un-
til tits convenient to attend to it. But there
is often great loss in this way. Not that the
seed that IS lett is injured, but that a large
= ID -E H. Il. I'll, 10
shells of very easily and when the farmer
may think it best to wait little for some of
the later heads to ripen, ne may lose con
siderable share of the earliest and best seed.
# a good crop of seed from the small kind
is desired, the first cutting must be early.
When it is as soon as the first of July, there
viii often be double the seed grown in the
second crop, that viii be secured if the first
cutting is ten days later. Still but few farm
ers take pains to cut clover hay early. Often,
to save hiring week or two, the clover
stands until the tenth or fifteenth of July,
when Of course the following crop of seed
must be light Although the farmer thinks
lille about it at the time, yet he has sacri-
feed large part OF his crop of seed-per-
laps makes it so late that it viii not be
thought worth saving, and lost from ten to
twenty dollars an acre to save few dollars
for hired help. Each years observation
proves that this is often the case; and no
doubt thousands Of farmers in Western New
] ork lose, or fail to realize, hundreds of dol
lars each every year by such mismanagement
with clover and clover seed.-F., ig Country
Gentleman