The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1881-10-07
Deer Creek Farmers Club.


important subject of Glover"
Mr.. Munnikhuysen said that the majority of
farmers pay too little attention to clover. 1t is
not only money crop, but the best and cheapest
fertilizer to improve land. Land cannot be made
rich with commercial fertilizers, without vegeta-
procured to cover the fields. Farmers can raise
clover, however There is no better feed than
CLOVER There Is no animal on the farm which
will not eat it. Even hogs turkeys and chickens
are glad to get 1t during winter, and it is the best
feed for sheep. He would rather have it than
timothy for horses, provided it is properly cured
and saved. 1t is more likely to give horses the
heaves than timothy is. Horses are very fond of
II and VIII eat too much OF II. me great trouble
is generally given.
With good set and proper treatment clover
will stand profitably for three years. 1t is mis-
take to pasture young clover after wheat too
closely Stock should not be put on IL before the
LIST Of October: Such season as this he would
pasture very little the first season.
1t is an excellent pasture, especially for hogs
Cattle will do well on it, but thrive better on
mixed grasses. He would not advise cutting the
second crop for hay, but itpays to cut it for seed
X. John Rogers has high opinion of the value
81 good clover hay as feed for horses They will
II allowed to do so, eat twice as much of any 9TH
er hay. This causes thirst and they may drink to
excess and get the heaves. One objection to cut
ting seed clover is that ii looks like robbing the
land. We plant clover to improve the land and
yet not only take off the second crop, but also the
seed. To improve the land it should be pastured
and not cut. Glover will stand about two years,
unless mixed with other grasses. He had cut four
crops from a field of mixed clover and timothy.
SlONor StdliuS tHc uTOuBH' DebLer UHdn
In order to avoid the fisk of insects in crops, he
would pillow clover the second year, but the long
er it stands the more it will improve the land
He never saw field of clover plowed and put
down in any crop that did not make good yield.
1t Should be plowed in fall or early spring. For
and for It viii be- OF more %e BENEFIT t%Ded
| under when or inches high. You should not
plant clover to the exclusion of timothy, but far
mers have neglected clover too much
X Harris Archer said clover had claimed more
attention from agricultural writer's than any
| if he were asked which he would rather do with
out for five years, clover or timothy, he would
prefer to do without the clover Timothy should
not be sowed on poor lands but on those in
good state of cultivation timothy should have the
preference over clover. Timothy has market
value while clover has none. You can not tell
what price 1t will bring Mr.. Archer considered
| timothy as valuable hay as any other for far
mer,s own use. Land in good condition need
| can not pillow down heavy growth of clover and
apply say 700 or 500 lbs. of bone dust to the acre.
because 1t would make your wheat too rank
permanent improvement on good land. Enough
clover will come up naturally on good land and
there is less risk in curing timothy than clover.
James II. Ball said he had almost come to the
conclusion that clover is the only grass seed that
should be sowed on arabic land. He prefers
and to improve land 1t is equal to any crop grown
If allowed to ripen before being ,plowed under it
will be worth ten times as much as If plowed in
May. While it stands it is constantly improving
the land. Timothy impoverishes land. Glover
should be pastured, but too close. Tramping
1t by stock OF advantage, as 1t makes the ground
solid and prevents mice from getting in and in
juring the roots, which they are liable to d.
Weeds should be cut out of it before they go to
seed.
John Moores regards clover as king among
grasses 1t is the foundation of farming, wheth-
er a farm is rich or poor. Stock, and especially
horses, are apt to eat too much of it. 1t will keep
them in better condition than any grass or grain
the second year. He sows one bushe Of seed TO
eight acres in February, and the same quantity in
April. He never saw It miss but once in 30 years
when sowed early. If timothy is sowed in the
fall don't sow so much clover in the spring. Clio
yer pays well for seed. Last year he mad 50 BUSH
els of seed from 20 acres, and did not get three
fourths of 1t out. Cloveris difficult to save Too
much should not be cut at one time and it should
be cooked over night, when it will do to haul in
than any grass We have. Now is the only grass he
has. Timothy and blue grass have not grown at
al, but ms clover is growing every day. His cat
Horace Whiteford thought no farmer could af-
ford to do without clover. 1t is the greatest land
renovator we have. If you can get set it will if
plowed down, bring up poor ground. There is no
trouble in getting other crops to grow where you
can get good crop of clover: 1t stands dry
weather better than timothy, because its roots
penetrate farther into the ground. If rightly
cured it is as good as timothy for feed. 1t should
be raked up as soon as wlted put in little stacks
over night and hauled in the next day. Cured in
that way it will come out of the NOW as bright as
the day it was put in, The tighter it is packed
| away the better. 1t is a good plan, in ordinary
seasons. to sow corn with clover II it catches il
should be allowed to lie over one year and when
plowed down will bring another crop of corn.
B. Silver, Jr., believed clover to be good thing
because it keeps ground in good order and is good
as a renovator Prefers it for his own feeding,
but prefers timothy as a marketable feed.
John II. Janney agreed with Mr.. Moores in con-
sdering clover king. No fertilizer we can use is
equal TO it, II he lived whore he could get lime
conveniently he would soon want no commercial
fertilizer. With clover and lime you cant approve
any land. With commercial fertilizers you can
only keep land up. Has tried plaster ON wheat
land and when sowed in clover has never failed to
get a good stand The proper time to pillow under
is the second year. The roots have then attained
their full growth and are the most valuable part.
The danger of blowing under heavy growth of
top on light land is that it may mske it too washy
His cows pastured on clover are in as good order
as stock cattle on old grass. He sows clover as
soon as the ground is in condition in the spring,
say from latter part of February to the middle of
s. NJ. Lee remarked that all agricultural writers
recognized clover as grand principle of improve
ment. Clover is triennial plant. 1t is sown one
year, in its prime the next, in fair condition the
next, and seldom lasting longer than three years.
He generally sows from the last of February to
the 10th of March, but Is more successful by SOW
ing in January or February. If sowed later than
the 10th of March he would like to give the ground
narrowing as soon as the ground can bear the
cattle. The nutritive value of clover as fertili
ger to the ground is enormous. That fact ne had
seen illustrated many years ago by the improve
ment of lands under his knowledge by blowing in
clover. The plant should be at full maturity
when plowed in. Some trouble is experienced in
properly curing clover hay, because there are us
and Is dried few times 1t gets dusty and it is
considered imprudent to feed horses on it in that
state, unless dampened For work horses and
sens the expense of grain feeding. Well cured
clover hay may also be fed without much danger
to driving Stock if sufficient care is used in feed.
ing. Occasionally batch of clover hay is lost in
curing. That is not of much consequence, as bet
ter corn will be raised where the clover is allowed
to lie than where 1t Is taken off. The heaviest
crops of wheat he ever saw were made from plow-
ing under heavy crop Of clover without other
VIM. +. Hays agreed with Messrs. Moores, jan
ney and Others If he had to farm without clover,
he a and forming a would d, dissolve partnership.
clover. 1t is worth more to the grain farmer than
all other grasses together: If we can get enough
without bone. Glover should be plowed down the
second year. Mr.. Cashier is not afraid to pillow
down good sod for corn Has sowed from Febru-
without either, and concludes that there is not so
much in the time of sowing as in the season after
harvest. Has never failed getting good stand
3. NJ. Lee said that only twice in his experience
of 80 years he had lost clover from winter sowing,
by freezing out Killing out in August by
drought is more general His experience in sow
ing clover with wheat has been rather against
than in favor of the practice.
Mr.. Moores said he had seen this plan tried with
| success.
Geo. X. Glasgow likes to see plenty of clover
raised and plowed under. He prefers timothy for
riding and driving horses but clover for cattle
and sheep. For pasturing cattle he prefers clover
and timothy mixed. He sometimes sows clover
alone, allows 1t to stand two years and plows I'M
der for wheat There is no better manure than
clover. Would rather pillow it under than use
bought manures. Prefers to SOW the LIST of
March.
Lycurgus Lee of Kansas, said that In the part of
the West where he resides they have little expe-
rence of the value of clover, but depend altogeth
er upon the natural grasses. The only object
Western farmers have In sowing clover is for pas-
ture for their hogs. Many of them sow little lots
for this purpose and 1t does well. In the future
it will no doubt be raised In considerable quanti-
ties. Glover is of decided advantage by being
turned down on thin lands.
H. Barnes regards clover as the best grass seed
have for cattle, but he prefers mixed hay for
horses. For pasture 1t is better for growing ami
mails and with little grain Is excellent for work.
ing stock.
James Lee prefers clover to timothy for horses.