Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-06-15
The Value OF Glover.

CLOVEh IL crop WuICu HAS IdtufI
more intrinsic value than any other
product of the farm. 1t can be sppro-
priated to three very valuable purposes.
First, for pasture AMI hay to feed TO stock !;
second, to plow under to improve and fer
tilize the land and third, TO raise seed
and oil the purse.
stock about the first of MAY, or when tn +.
ground is firm, 80 that the cattle will not
indent the soil with their feet At that
time the growth will be enOug b adva .ced
to enable the cattle to thrive, AMI II 1t Is
the design to raise seed, the cattle can re.
m ain ON the grass till the 18th or 2Oth 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, aud mature the seed.
made. and the after crop to be left TO 60 TO
seed, the grass for hay, as 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 long. time. But if 1t Is not
the desire to grow clover for seed, the first
crop had better remain standing till the
clover blossoms have b, come 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 aud in slippery state.
Of the advantage of clover to the i'm
p-ovement 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, AMI for heavy soil it is
the best plant that can be raised to pillow
under to make the ground loose and rich.
Lime and clover should 60 hand in hand,
in the ways and means to ameliOrate the
soil. and together, with the aid Of other
special fertile rs, it will 60 great way
toward supplying the deficiency Of animal
manure.
Clover, to have the best effect in improy-
ing soil, should be plowed under after
most Of the blossoms have become brown ;
then the s.ccharine matter will not be 50
abund ant as to create sour mold when
buried under the earth. But in al stages
Of it's growth, clover turned under or lett
TO rot ON the surface. Is the cheapest fer
tilizing substance that 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 b-st
plan to SOW it is TO take a pair OF horses
and sled, fix q piece of timber twenty
four feet long across the rear ind OF the
sled the center Of the scantling or limb r
to be in the centre OF sled, then fas'en
chains to each eud of The piece and one in
the center, to dag in the snow 10 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,
aud the other ranges thirty-rik feet apart,
which il run straight will make the lands
all uniformly twelve feet wide and every
bout with the sled will mark of three
Ian Is. Boys or men can SOW much evener
on a coat Of snow than they can on the
bare ground, because on tn: 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 Oplow
under for manure, more should be given:
If clover ed is not worth more than six
or eight dollars. per bushel, farmers Can
well ar rd to SOW peck of seed to the
re, for dollar and half or two dollars
expense per acre, a. fcItiiiz r, will he but
tribe in comparison 10 the amount 81
yeget .hle matter produced BY the tops and
roots OF the clover, viii b will he returned
to the coil - psbulum TO nourish the
crora