The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-07-04
Agricultural Department.
CONDUCTED ~ ALBERT CHAPMAN
Clover in Northern New York.

Wien the value of the clover crop Is
considered, and its relations to other
crops Is understood, it becomes a mat
ter ofno little Surprise that its culture
shouldbe so frequently neglected. / 10
not know how IL is in other states, or
in other portions of this state, but in
this section dover Is practically ig-
norcd, DO far as giving it the place In
agriculture that Il really deserves A
large proportion of our farmers never
SOW an ounce of clover seed. Those
who do SOW dover, mix 1t with limo
thy In the proportion of about four
pounds of clover to six quarts of timo-
y,.and this Is the quantity and tho
proportion thu is usually sown to the
acre. Light az the seeding Is, the clo-
yer Is not in proportion to the quantity
of timothy. II the soil is moderately
rich, and all other conditions favorable,
there b fair crop of mixed hay for the
first crop. This is usually cut early in
haying, and Of course the aftergrowth
of clover is good. IT is as D rule the
best fall feed On the farm, and ii is fed
down close aud late in the season, The
second crop Of hay contains very little
Cf any, clover. Nine farmers out of
ten believe that clover runs out the first
season, when the fact is that ii lis Killed
out. The usual treatment of clover in
this section may be summed up in few
words: 1t is to SOW but very little seed ;
get light crop Of cloyer the first sea
son; feed It down close and late in the
fall, and then have no clover until it is
seeded again. Now there is no reason
why clover may not be grown alone as
well as timothy, and it is practice fol-
lowed by some farmers with success.
The chief objection to clover is the
difficulty with which it is cured when il
Is coarse, and cut, as it should be, be.
fore 1t ripens. If it is sown thick, the
difficulty is obviated in great degree.
And if no attempt is made TO secure Q
second crop, or to feed down the sec
ond growth, there is not the slightest
danger of clover running out. One
crop In the season will be found more
profitable than timothy. do not claim
that 1t is impossible to cut two crops a
year Of clover, and follow it for two OIL
three years. On the contrary, it can
be done If compensation is made for
such heavy tax on the fertility of the
soil. Glover needs protection, in win
ter much more than timothy, and the
luxuriant aftergrowth is the protection
that the roots need. If our meadows
were covered with snow during winter,
l should not be. ayerse to feeding down
the attergrowth of clover But they
are not; snow does not lie on our open
fields for any length of time, and the
grass roots are subject, more or less
throughout the winter, to the action OF
the sun. The aftergrowth of clover is
a protection in itself, and also aids in
retaining snow upon the ground. -a.
There Is some difference in growing
clover whether you turn in your cows
and sheep as soon as the clover makes
respectable bite, or whether you pro-
tect the clover field for future crop
Sheep should never be allowed in a clo-
yer field; they will destroy the best
clover sod in single season. There
are many reasons why clover is one OF
the most important crops OH the farm.
Cows and calves like it, aud sheep vim
ter easily on clover hay. But its great
est Importance is due to the position il
occupies in q rotation of crops. 1t is
useful in rotation either as q crop to
pillow under, or as preparation for q
corn crop. In removing crop of clo-
YER from the soil, in regard to other
crops the soil is not impoverished; that
Ia, suppose clover sod from which q
heavy crop of clover is cut, is turned
under the next spring for corn, the soil
is better prepared for a crop Of corn
than before the clover was removed.
The principal inorganic elements OF
clover are: lime, 5000 per cent; pot
ash, 26.70. There is only "A per cent.
oflime in corn, and 1888 per cent. in
corn stalks 1t is easy to- SEQ that so
far as lime, as an Inorganic element OF
plant life is concerned, the removal OF
crop of clover is not detrimental to
the production of corn. Phosphoric
acid is the most important inorganic ell
ement of corn; it is 44.S7 per cent. in
corn, and 17.OS per cent. in corn stalks,
and is only $50 per cent. in clover. Ii
does not impoverish the soil of the Gle.
ments of principal importance to the
production of corn; and clover bears
about the same relation to other crops
that 1t does to corn. And the ash ele.
ments which enter most largely into
the composition of the clover plant, are
required in lesser degree by almost
all farm crops; and its action OH the
soil is beneficial. Glover roots seek the
elements of plant life deeper than other
crops. 1t acts upon soil as subsoil
blowing. There are elements in clover
roots and haulm that could not be
reached by other crops. All old farm
ers appreciate the superiority of a good
clover sod; It 10 the easiest to prepare
for corn OF barley, and there is Ger.
tsinty Of good crop of any grain after
heavy crop of clOyer,-GF. X. More.