The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-07-20
About Red Clover.

dlter n6TVeSb anu the lanQ 1cEtlle,
will sometimes attain the height o
thirty inches, and put out blooms
making an excellent fall pasture. Whel
sown alone it will always blossom il
August.
As soon as it begins to grow, in earl,
spring, an application of two bushels o
gypsum or land plaster, upon graniti,
or sandy soils, is absolutely necessar,
to get a good growth.
Baron Liebig, after numerous expert
ments made with gypsum upon clover
comes to the conclusion that the actor
of gypsum is very complex; that it in
deed promotes the distribution of boil
magnesia and potash in the soil. II,
thinks that gypsum exercises chemica
action upon the soil, which extends K
any depth, and that in consequence o.
the chemical and mechanical modifica
ton of the earth, particles of certain
nutritive elements become accessible Il
and available for the clover plant
which were not so before.
Though having my mind constantly
directed to this point have rarely fount
an application of gypsum beneficial
upon clayey loans, but its effects arr
very apparent on strong limestone soils
such as are found in the Central Basin
Red clover has two growing seasons. Il
makes its most vigorous growth from
the LIST of April until the 18th of June,
beginning to bloom usually in the GEN.
trail part of the State about the 18th OF
May, and attaining its full infiorescence
about the LIST of June. After this, un.
less depastured by stock or cut for hay,
the heads begin to dry up and stem
and leaves begin to fall, forming
mat upon the land. Sometimes this
mat is so thick as to catch and concen.
trate the heats of summer to such a de-
gree as to scald the roots and destroy
the clover. Usually it is best after clover
has attained its full bloom, either to cut
it for hay or pasture with stock until
about the first of July. When the stock
is removed, or the clover hay cured and
taken off, and there is rain enough, a
second crop will spring up from the
roots. This second crop is the most val
liable for seed, the seed maturing about
the last of August, and sooner, if there
be copious rains. To make the most
abundant yield of clover for grazing it
should be allowed to grow all it will,
but never let it make seed, always
grazing it down when in full bloom.
When grazed down take off the stock
until it blooms again. Several success
sive crops may thus be made during the
summer. The crop of August is unfit
for grazing, the large quantity of seed
having the effect of salivating stock to
such a degree as to cause them to lose
flesh.
1t is fact, well attested by English
writers, and by observant farmers of
this country. that when clover has been
frequently sown upon the same land, il
not only fails to produce heavy crop,
but fails to appear at all. The land is
then said to be "clover-sick. The
remedy for this is by extending the
of crops in the scale of rota-
ton, so that clover will not come SC
often upon the same land.
Clover has no superior as grazing
plant. When in full vigor and bloom
it will carry more cattle and sheep per
acre than bluegrass, Herds grass, OF
orchard grass. After it has been grazed
to the earth, few showery DAYS with
warm suns will cause it to spring up
into renewed vitality, ready again to
furnish its succulent heritage to domes-
tic animals. Though very nutritious
and highly relished by cattle, it often
produces a dangerous swelling called
hoven, from which many cows die.
When first turned upon clover, cattle
should only be allowed to Craze for an
hour or two, and then be driven off for
the remainder of the day, gradually in
creasing the time of grazing, until they
become less voracious in their appe-
tites, never permitting them to run up
On clover when wet. Clover made wet
BY rain at midday is more likely to
produce hoven than when wet by dew.
This is because when wet by rain at
or after the stalks and leaves
ire heated by the sun, when taken in
%, the stomach of COW, this heat gen
crates fermentation much sooner than
when the heritage is cool, though wet
with the morning dew. Cattle are
more easily affected by clover than
horses, because being ruminants, they
axe in the clover rapidly, filling
he stomach at once, without chew
NC. Digestion is for the time checked,
md rapid fermentation sets in. The
'emedy found most effective for hovep
5 to stick sharp pointed knife about
TX inches in front of the hip, to the left |
tide of the backbone, and far enough |
rom it to miss the spinal protuberances.
md in the thinnest part of the flank.
4 COW should never be run when af- |
ected with hovon, as this treatment |
'nly intensities the pain without afford. |
NC relief.
Stock should never be turned upon
clover until it blooms. The practice OF
many of our farmers, to turn all the
took upon clover field early in April.
5 very destructive. The crown of the
;lover is eaten out, causing it to perish.
The tread of heavy cattle has the same
fleet.
As soiling crop red clover is ex.
elled by no crop grown within the
tate. The practice of soiling in tlIickly.
ettled communities is one much com
nended by agricultural writers. An
of clover will supply one COW
the months of June, July
nd August, if cut off and fed in a stall,
While twice the amount in pasture, ac-
ording to some English experimenters,
I'LL barely subsist cow during the
anne period, and this will depend, OF
curse, upon the luxuriance of the
rowth. Selling (that is cutting the
rass and feeding it green) is very
practice, near small towns.
here many persons own small lots,
nd desire to keep milch cow. No
Their grass, perhaps, will produce a
lrger flow of milk. II. Kelc6rew,
, Prairie Farmer.