The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-08-04
SAVE YOUR CLOVER SEED.

A sensible communication appears
in last weeks Charlotte Democrat
urging the farmers of Mecklenburg
countytos save their clover seed,
from which we clip the following:
"'This season has been a fine one
on clover and all other grasses, as
can, no doubt, be attested by u
cotton farmers. Thesecond cutting,
or seed crop of clover, will soon be
ready, and from practical experience
in sowing seed here in Mecklenburg
county, | know the yield per acre is
equal to that Of any other State, or
section. If Northern and Western
farmers make money on seed. why
can't our farmers doso? The North
ern and Western farmer s-quick to
see what crops give him money,
and he acts at once. The farmers
Of M~ecklenburg county sow ten
times more clover seed than they
did ten years ago, and all their seed
comes from the North and West, but
a majority of them SOW too sparingly
on the land which they seed, and
not until they begin to SOW their
own seed will they SOW thick enough
to make a full stand. Last spring
clover and all grasses. were very
high and scarce, owing to the for
eign demand and the short seed crop
West. The same seed sold from the
West had to be shipped back, thus
causing a double demand and max
ing very high prices. Grass seeds
are always looked upon and regarded
as good stock they always bring
spot cash in every market and the
farmer who has his big stock of clio
yer seed feels independent, knowing
it is as good as gold. The yield per
acre varies like all other crops, but
when hay is allowed to stand for
seed it runs from two to five
bushels per acre. At last seasons
prices this would give from ST. to
$40 per acre, besides giving the first
cutting of hay, which is equal to 500
to $40 mor at $1.O0 per 100 lbs.
cured. After the seed are threshed
the hay is better by having passed
through the machine. The waste
of hay by threshing is one-third to
one-half, but as the seed comes out
OF the second cutting and this cut
ting always salivates, then it seems,
to be in favor of threshing seed by
great odds. As to any particular
mode of preparing the clover for
seed there is none. First Of aNis to
let it get thoroughly ripe, or the
heads must become black and the
stem near the head dry. Gut either
with reaper, mower, or(by hand
blade. Allow the hay to lie until
thoroughly, dry when it. should be
hauledupsand sheltered But care
chould be 'taken'to'haui' in the now
ing while the head isa little moist
from dew, so, as, bot to scatter
the seed. AS to thrsshing the seed,
no machine or attachment has proved
satisfactory. A CLOVER huller is the
only perfect machine for threshing
and cleaning"
1t is a singular fact that Southern
farmers are dependent to such a
great extent on Northern farmers for
not only grass seed, but even for the
garden seed theysplant, when they
can have all the seed they want only
for the trouble of taking care Of it,
not only enough fpr their own needs
but an abundances for sale.
Aside from the mere fact Of the
profit in dollars and cents that might
be made out of CLOVER or other grass
seed adapted to This section, is the
more important fact that if there
were an abundance of seed to be
procured, there would be much
more of clover, timothy, orchard
grass, &c, sown than there is, afford
ing not only additional pasturage
and feed for stock, but the material
also for f~ertilizing Hands that need
fertilizing. No man, whether. his
farm be large or small, whether corn,
cotton, tobacco, or grain, should be
without his grass fields, as the food
supplies for the land he tills. With
the grasses and peayines he can not
only keep-up the fertility ofhis acres,
but make them richer every year.
This is no mere theory, fori it has been
demonstrated over and over again,
some of the finest farms in the State
now being what we're classed as
worn out old fields not many years
ago.
Talk about cotton OF tobacco, as
money crops, all you may, they will