The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1888-01-26
GRASS AND CLOVER.
suggestions Relating to Early Seeding al
the Handling or Seed.

suggestions Relating To Early seeding and
the Handling or Seed.
I adopted the rule Of early sowing
about ten years ago, after having made
some disastrous failures from late SOW
ing. Farmers on clay land can not de-
pend on narrowing in the spring for not
more than once in three or four years
will the land get dry enough to harrow
before the wheat is too large to have a
harrow pass over it. Think more than
half the farmers in the country will tell
you that clover seed sown curly will be
killed by freezing, and yet I little i'll
vestigation would show that there is
more danger of late sown clover being
killed, for the simple reason that there
has been no freeze to cover it, and its
sprouts lie directly on the surface, and
on account of not being covered it starts
sooner than the seed which was sown
earlier and has been well covered by
frost.
In regard TO the handling of seed
clover, we can not lay down set al
rules which are never to be deviated
from. There is no difficulty whatever
in hulling the mammoth clover from
the field, as it is cut the last of july uI
first of August, when the days are lon.
and the sun hot. and two or three day.
will dry it out perfectly after tho hcavi.
est rain. With the medium or common
red clover which must often be threshei
as late as October, threshing from the
field is very uncertain and unsatisfac
tory. and in noighborhood where Hear
IL every farmer grows clover seed, ana
machines are scarce, the farmer vii,
often lose his crop unless he stacks il
or puts it under cover. In tho fail OF
1886 there were thousands of acres ol
clover cut for seed in Il radius of tel
miles of my farm. and not threshed al
all, because the machines could not &c;
around to it. Often machine couiG
not run until after noon on account OF
heavy dews followed by a cloudy mora
ing; and light rain, if followed by |
cloudy weather. would keep the ma
chine idle for two or three days. ] |
should have lost my little crop of six |
acres if l had not stacked il, but hav- |
ing it stacked and perfectly dry. the |
machine camo and we ran it through !
before the dew had dried off on tho !
neighboring farm where the clover !
was in the swath.
There is no difficulty in stacking |
clover so as TO keep the water our, but |
the stack must be covered with some |
other material. Carry the sides of Your
stack up perfectly straight and buiId
the stack square at the ends. Make it
only twelve feet wide and as long rs is
necessary, and top it out with slope
toward the prevailing winds. Then lay
st the top and also at the lower edge
four by four studding and put Il board
roof on it, the boards living directly Oh
the clover and being nailed lightly t.
the studding. Arranged in this WAY
clover will keep dry and the huller can
come directly after rain and thresb
while your neighbor waits for his to
dry. 1t will probably be cheaper and
betterin the long run to build barracks
convenient to the barn yard. 50 the
clover straw can be run into the ward
and then the barracks can be filed
with corn fodder for winter use. Such
barracks need have no floor except
one or rails or poles to keep
she clover or fodder from the ground,
and can be used to shelter the tools
temporarily in the summer, or for driv-
ing G-.der with load when sudden
rain comes up. 1t viii also be very
convenient for curing out beans OF
broom corn or any of the catch crops
grown on the farm.-K r. G.5ca. in
Country Gentleman