The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-06-03
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ELKTON, JUNE 3. 1871.
Clover.


The periodical apprehension of the farmer
is again manifested, in view of the threat
cned failure, by the present unusually cal ly
drought, of large portion of his grain
crops. The wheat is seriously injured by
the red rust /; the young oats and corn have
been brought to stand-still, and the hay
crop has every prospect of being shortened
one-half. Potatoes and other vegetables
suffer from the effects of the common enc
my, and nothing but clover, of all the
crops, looks thrifty. This crop, on soil
that is of fair quality, where it is properly
set and not encroached upon by too much
mixture of other grasses, has healthy
and vigorous growth, though falling some
what behind, in this respect, more favor
able seasons. Clover is about the only
crop that will stand our severe summer
droughts Its roots strike deep into the
soil, and where that is deeply titled and
enriched, running down to 4 great depth
This protects the plant, in dry season,
from the inevitable fate Of all shallow
rooted plants, while the roots of the clover,
when the sod is broken up, contribute
largely to the increased fertility of the
soil. These enrichirg elements arc ex-
tracted by the long tap-root of the plant,
from the sub-soil, where the roots of most
plants cannot penetrate, while the long,
vine-lkc top, and broad cxranse Of leaves,
absorb from the atmosphere more vitalizing
properties than any other of our cultivated
grasses.
Glover, when properly cured and stored,
is universally admitted to be the best food
for cattle and sheep that is found among
all the grasses used for hay. But cutting
and converting tho crop into hay is subject
to many more risks of loss than timothy
and other grasses. The clover crop is the
first ready for the scythe, and this is gen
orally at a season-early harvest-when
rain is liable to prevail, before the setting
in of the usual dry term, which seems
provdentially ordered to favor the husband
man in the work of saving his crops.
A very slight shower on wilted clover
seriously Injuries the hay, while thorough
wctting almost entirely ruins it. Glover,
too, requires much more sunshine and air
to properly cure it, when cut at that state
of ripeness which insures the sweetest and
best hay, than any other grass, thus max
ing it all the moro liable to the incidents of
unfavorable weather. To cure the crop,
in order to make hay of the first quality,
no rain, and as little dew rs possible, should
be allowed to touch the hay, in the process
Of curing. The only means to guard
against danger to- and loss of, the crop, by
wet weather, is for the farmer TO provide
himself with canvas or oil cloth caps sufli-
cient to cover the quantity of hay he may
have at one time in cock. The hay should
be put into neat cocks before shutdown on
the day it is cut, and capped, if the slight
est signs of rain arc visible. Hay thus put
up, if left stand in cock two Or three days
the weather being dry-will cure much
better and brighter than in any other way;
but to hasten the process, if the cocks are
opened to the sun the next day after being
put up, the hay will be ready for the NOW.
Every practical farmer in Cecil knows
these things, but none have hay CAPS
This appliance of the harvest is very COM
mon, we believe general, in England, where
rain through the harvest season, is the
greatest obstacle the farmer has to encoun-
ter. Without this protection from rain,
the clover crop cannot be secured properly
for hay-omitting exceptional cases-and
its liability to injury from wet is doubtless
the main cause for its partial neglect by
our farmers, while its place is supplied by
timothy.
There is no plant that will fill the place
of clover as an cnricher of the soil, and
the farmer who depends upon clover and
lime to bring his land up to productive
standard and retain it, will prove success
full man in his business, while the patent
fertilizer farmer will fall behind, and his
land grow poorer every succeeding year.