The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-06-16
ALL ABOUT CLOVER.
The Many Different Varieties and Their seyer,,


The Many Different Varieties and Their Several
Uses.
There are about 160 species of clover.
Eight, at least, Of these species belong
to the Northern States, and there are
several varieties in the South.
Of the clovers, the best known and the
most valuable is Trifolium pratense.
commonly known in this country as
'sred clover, although there are quite
number of varieties and species having
red blossoms. Trifolium pratense IS
biennial, and as it is rather easily winter
killed, it is never safe to trust to it alone
Tor either hay or pasture. The pasture
should always contain a variety of grass
es to provide succession, and also that
variety in the food Of the animals which
is essential to their thrift. Hence, while
red clover occupies a prominent place in
every properly constituted pasture, the
other grasses in such pasture Will make
necessary feed until the clover springs
up from the seed. The winter-killinp of
clover IN meadows is more keenly felt.
as there it is properly grown, if grown
with other grasses at all, only with those
very few in number-that mature at
the same time that it does.
The value of common red clover as q
pasture or meadow plant is so generally
known that need not consume space
with it here. The albuminoid ratio of
clover hay is 1:5.9. While the aIbu-
minoid ratio Of milk is higher, the food
for milk producing animals should have
an albuminoid ratio of 1:5.3. Hence
clover is splendid food for milk giving
animals. As result, COWS fed on clover,
green or dry, give large flow of milk,
and the butter made from it is of excep-
tionally good quality, as nearly every
reader must know. The aIbuminoid
ratio of clover proclaims it to be good
food for all growing animals. T have
found no food so really economical for
hogs as clover pasture; and I attribute
my exemption from swine plague for
nearl y twenty years, though it has often
prevailed on adjacent farms, to my feed
ing my swine during the summer on
clover pasture, with a judicious mixture
of other grasses. I find that the cheap
est pork is made by putting March pigs
on pastures as soon as blue grass and
orchard grass start, and keeping them
on pasture as long as the second growth
of blue grass continues, which is late in
the fall. During the season of its growth
red clover is the bulk of their food.
When grass fails, they are brought up
and rapidly fattened (but not on corn
alone.) The clover has built up big
frame of bone and muscle, and as it has
kept the digestion of the animal vigor-
Gus, that frame is soon rounded out with
fat. I would recommend this plan Of
feeding swine to all who can adopt it.
The value Of red clover for green
manuring is not often appreciated fully.
The reader doubtless knows, that of the
gaseous elements Of plant food, nitrogen
is the only one whom we need concern
ourselves about, and also, that to keep a.
liberal supply of it in an available form
within reach of the plant is as important
as it is difficult: Now no other plant
has so great power of taking up nitro
gen from the atmosphere as clover. It {
gathers nitrogen from the air in COM
paratively very large quantities, and
when the clover is plowed under this
nitrogen is held in the soil for the sue
ceeding crop. Again the roots Of the
clover plant penetrate to depth of from
four to five feet, and from this depth,
reached by the roots Of but few plants,
the clover roots bring up mineral matter
plant food-which is put within the
reach of even shallow feeding plants
when the clover is plowed under.
Red clover is one of the most import
ant crops for soiing, on account Of its
early cutting and the large amount Of
excellent green food it yields.
Two varieties of clover seem to be spe-
cially adapted to the South: Japan clover
is supposed to have been brought in tea
boxes from Japan or China. 1t viii
scarcely grow, 1 believe, north of the
Both parallel. It does well on soils sup
posed to be exhausted by cultivation;
endures the severest drought, its long
:ap root reaching moisture; is perennial,
hence retains its foothold without re-
seeding; is much relshed by stock for
either pasture or hay, and is also excel
ent for plowing under.
Mexican clover, though considered a
Troublesome plant in cultivated fields in
Florida, is very valuable as a green soil
ng plant. 1t grows rapidly and is very
;ucculent. It is too watery to cure well
nto hay. It grows very luxuriantly, and
IN soil too poor for the common red
,lorer. 1t is a native of Mexico and
South America-John NJ. Stahl, in