The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1880-04-02

gate the results OF other green crops Tor
use in similar way. Though the latter
may not be as good as clover, still /
could grow other crops when and where
1t would not be practicable to raise the
clover. Very often our clover seeding
fails from drought in the early sum-
mer. and of late it has been killed the
second year by O worm in the roots, a
weevil often destroying its seed. With
me clover seldom grows as thrifty as it
used to years back, showing, as some
farmers designate 1t, that the land is
"clover sick"
My success Inns been very gratifying
in sowing corn, oats, bucAwheat, or rye
for blowing under, instead Of clover.
For this purpose use one or the other
of the crops, according to the time of the
year for sowing; and taking into the cal
culation the length of time the crop
could occupy the land. All these crops,
however, could be grown and pl0wed
under within the time required for grow
ing the one crop of clover. In this con-
sists the main advantage of their use
over clover as renovating crop.
Of the crops above mentioned / SOW
corn or buckwheat for a summer growth,
resorting to them only occasionally, as
by reason of the failure of some regular
farm-crop in it's course. Rye or oats can
often be sown in August or September,
after the harvesting of regular crop,
with ample time for growing heavy crop
for Recommending the land before the
latter is wanted for the next regular farm
crop. For this purpose, Immediately af-
ter harvest, 1 take all the stubble-ground
that is not seeded to clover, cultivating
it so as to SOW rye or oats; the former if
it is not to be plowed under until the
following spring, the latter if only fall
growth is desired. For late sowing, oats
will make a much heavier and quicker
growth than any other grain, the cool,
moist fall weather appearing to favor it.
After harvesting any piece of early corn
or potatoes, re-sow the ground again
as soon as possible, with some crop for
green manuring. With my regular field
crop often sow rye, at the last time of
cultivating the corn, the rye often grow
ing so rank after the corn is taken off as
to need fall pasturing to keep it down
properly.
Such seeding as is recommended above
will cost but trihe, since the waste of
any stubble lot is half enough to reseed
it. After potato digging, especially, the
ground win need very little more tillage.
In the case of the cornfield, there only
remains the expense of seed and sowing
the rye. In all these operations the ex-
tra tillage required is more than repaid
by dressing the land of all weeds and
thistles at time of the year when they
will die readily. Again, the soil is put
in a light and porous condition for re-
ceiving and being benefited by the fall
rains. Finally, the growing Of any Of
these crops in the manner described more
than repays the light attendant expense,
through the preoccupation of the land
with clean, luxuriant growth, instead
of permitting it to lie bare or occupied
with some foul growth, which can only
be damage to the lands. I need not
add-that which will be admitted by all
intelligent farmers-the blowing under
of heavy vegetable growth from any OF
these crops will beof great benefit to the
lands thus treated.