South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-06-09
The Value OF Clover,

CLOVER is a crop which has rather
more intrinsic value than n other
product of the farm. 1t can be appro-
priated to three very valuable purposes.
First, for pasture and hay to feed to stock
second, to plow under to improve and fer
tilize the land; and third, to raise seed
and ill the purse.
If intended for pasture, turn in the
stock about the first of May, or when the
ground is firm, so that the cattle will not
indent the soil with their feet. At that
time the growth will be enough advanced
TO enable the cattle to thrive, and if it is
the design to raise seed, the cattle can re-
main on the grass till the 18th or Goth of
June, and it will be well to have the
clover cropped pretty close at this time, as
it will give the second crop more ample
chance to grow, and mature the seed.
When a crop of hay is intended to be
made, and the after crop to be left to 90 to
seed, the grass for hay, as a rule, should be
cut some days earlier; though there be
some disadvantage in drying the hay, the
loss will likely be more than made up by
the increase of the seed, than if left stand
ing uncut a longer time. But if it is not
the desire to grow clover for seed, the first
crop had better remain standing till the
clover blossoms have become partially
brown. 1t will render into hay more
readily, and there will be less danger in
curing on account of the weather, and
the food will be relished by the stock
equally as well, if not better than when
cut greener and in a slippery state.
Of the advantage of clover to the i'm
provement of the soil, the half has not
been said or told. In keeping up the fer
tility of lands, there is no crop that can be
raised on the farm that is equal to clover,
because if properly secured, the hay is the
best feed for stock, and for heavy soil it is
the best plant that a be raised to pillow
under to make the ground loose and rich.
Lime and clover should go hand in hand,
in the ways and means to ameliorate the
soil, and together. with the aid of other
special fertilizers, it will go a great way
toward supplying the deficiency of animal
manure.
Glover, to have the best effect in improv-
ing soil, should be plowed under after
most of the blossoms have become brown;
then the saccharine matter will not be so
abundant as to create Soul mold when
buried under the earth. But in all stages
of its growth, clover turned under or left
to rot on the surface, is the cheapest fer
lllALLuS suuSlduCC Iudb grows.
The best time to SOW clover seed is
when the snow is on the ground, some
time in the month of March, and the best
plan to SOW it is to take a pair of horses
and a sled, fix a piece of timber twenty
four feet long across the rear end of the
sled; the center of the scantling or timber
to be in the centre of sled, then fasten
chains to each end of the piece and one in
the center, to drag in the snow to mark
off lands twelve feet wide, by which to
SOW the seed, two casts to each land.
Marking out the lands or belts is best
done by using poles. Set the first range
of poles thirty-four feet from the fence,
and the other ranges thirty-six feet apart,
which if run straight will make the lands
all uniformly twelve feet wide, and every
bout with the sled will mark off three
lands. Boys or men can sow much evener
on a coat of snow than they can on the
bare ground, because on the snow they
can see how they are sowing, and how and
where the seeds fall. Six quarts of clover
seed by most farmers is considered ample
for an acre; but if sOwn% purpOsely toplow
under for manure, more should be given.
If clover seed is not worth more than six
or eight dollars per bushel, farmers can
well afford to sow a peck of seed to the
acre, for a dollar and a half or two dollars
per acre, asa fertilizer, will be but
a trife in comparison to the amount of
vegetable matter produced by the tops and
roots of the clover, which will be returned
to the soil as pabulum to nourish the
crops.
As much as five tons of green clover
and tops will grow on al acre from
the first of April till the first of August,
with ordinary rain and sunshine to favor
its growth; and where can be found the
material that will yield such
good fertiliziug substance as clover at the
cost of a dollar to two per acre?
In fact, it is a good practice for farmers
to sow it among all crops, and at every
opportunity, for its growth will take the
place of foul weeds that would otherwise
spring up, if the ground is left bare. :