The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-03-21
From the Western Rural.
Alsike Clover.

AIsike Clover.
Curriculum HYBRIDIUM PERENNIAL.)
Having had many inquiries from far.
mers and others in regard to the honey
and butter producing qualities of this
vegetable will give through the columns
of the Western Rural (by the way pa.
per that every Western farmer should
take and carefully ready my experience
of three years,in regard to the great val
ue of this plant, to all farmers whose
soils are adapted to its full development,
My own observations, and statements
from other reliable sources,g far to prove
its value.
Alsike clover is not adapted to light
sandy or sandy and gravelly soils, with
porous or leach subsoils. With good
clay subsoil, it succeeds better. But it
luxuriates in rich, thoroughly worked
clay loan soils, rich bottom lands, prairie,
and all marsh or swamp lands where they
can be ploughcd so as to kill the wild
grasses. Flowing through Winter and
Spring does not injure it. Here it will
accept the situation and display its mag
nifcent products on the scale Olive tons
of finely cured hay to the acre. But
mark deeply stirred, rich, moist land,
underdrained or sub-soiled, or both, will
only produce this burden. The chemi-
cal action of plaster is strikingly manifest
on this plant, Blossoms are developed
more or less when the plant is from eight
to ten inches in height; and when three
and a half feet, it is a perfect sea Of
bloom.
Millions of dollars may be added to
the wealth of this country, especially the
West, in few years By sowing one acre
this year, and gradually extending its
area. For soiing cows, horses, ETC., when
pastures fail, it is equal or superior to
green corn, and attended with less trouble
in the gathering and feeding. During
the past year, cut three crops from the
same ground, standing at the first cutting
from two to three feet in hight last cut
ting, one foot in hight, as thick as it could
stand; small delicate stalks, with numer-
GUS branches, and perfectly gloriied with
a mass of small peach-blow celored boss
oms, filling the air with the most delight
full and exhilarating perfume, and swarm
ing with bees every fair day. The root
is like red clover, but longer and more
! fibrous. The haulm is small tender, and
nutritious; when well cured as it should
be, in full bloom, every spear will be
eaten with avidity by all kinds Of stock
, There is no plant known, that will pro
} deuce so much good honey, butter, cheese
f beef, mutton, wool and hay per acre, as
this plant, not even excepting corn. Ii
: using the latter for soiling, you get only
e the haulm, while in the Alsike you ge
G the haulm and large yield of honey
: and if the ground is prepared as well by
G deep filth, manure and plaster, or othel
fertilizers, as for corn, you will get al
: much by weight of the haulm. 1t bear
S feeding to an enormous degree. | thinl
: its fattening qualities superior to the ia
: nous blue grass Of Kentucky and as i
will flourish well on such soils as | hav,
= designated, fromthe Gulf to Lake Supe
o rior, farmers can easily divine its i'm
i mense advantage to their pockets. Be
g side, the expense of seeding down" eve
ry three or four years is saved. 1t is I
y great renovator and disintegrator of hare
!, tenacious soils. Its long tape roots ant
n numerous fibers reach deep for its pabu
= lum, and these loosen soil and endur,
l. drought well. Some think there are tw'
r. kinds of this clover. think not. TIL
difference in growth, ETC., in diverse 10
y calties, is owing to the character of tn
n soil. l never saw any but the larg
: kind on land once covered with beech
r, maple, oak, bass liver wood, etc. i neve
It saw any but the small kind on light sandy
% and gravelly soils, also on pebbly soils wit
e calcarious debris, and good tenaciou
r. subsoil, it succeeds we'll. 1t is no hum
le bug. Farmers, try it and report results
10 d. H. Shiawasse County, Mich.