The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1888-10-12

spring, did not consider this any dis
advantage.
When 1 intend to let the clover stand
over for crop the next year, go over
it with the moving machine set to cut
high, and cut off the clover and let it
fall on the ground. do not wait until
the clover is knee high to do this, as it
would then be heavy enough to smoth-
er and kill ont the plants, but l cut it
early enough toavoid any danger Of
this.
In exceptional seasons when the har-
vest is very early. and plenty of rain
falls, it may be necessary to cut it twice
if you wish to leave it on the ground.
In my locality, harvest sometimes
comes before the goth Of June, and
usually before the close of the month,
and this gives long growing season.
In this case one can choose between
cutting twice and leaving it ON the
ground. and leaving it until later and
cutting for seed, or if it does not make
seed, for hay. l have never succeeded
IN making first class hay from this fall
growth of clover, for it is very sappy
and hard to cure after the sun has lost
as much Of its power as it does in Oc-
tober, but if it is drawn to the barnyard
after the dew is dried off, and stacked
compactly, it will heat and cure out,
and the cattle will eat most of it, and
make manure of the rest. When young
clover is pastured soon after harvest, as
is the almost universal practice, the
tranping and close cropping reduce its
vitality, and the loss on the crop the
ensuing year is usually much more than
the feed is worth. If this fall pasturing
is ollowed by turning on the clover in
the spring as soon as the field begins to
show green, the result will be but a
small amount of feed and no benefit to
the land, but cover the land with a
dense growth as soon as possible after
harvest, and keep it SO through summer
and fall, and then ifit is to be pastured
do not turn on it in the spring until it
begins to blossom, and your land will
again be shaded and protected through
the heat of summer.
How or why a-.shaded soil always
improves I may not be able to explain,
but the fact is undisputed that it does,
and bearing this 10 mind, we should
manage our clover SO as to have the
land covered by it as much of the time
as we can. I find many of my neigh
bors think that it improves land to
grow clover on it and pasture it, but
that the land gets no benefit if it is cut
first for hay and then for seed. l have
carefully Investigated this question,
and have reached the conclusion that
the land is more benefited when the
crop is cut than when it is pastured
We get the best development of root
when the clover makes its full growth,
and the land is shaded more completely
and for longer period. Then in cut
ting the seed.crop we allow the crop to
get so ripe, that most of the leaves
fall, and we cut as high as we can
and save the heads, and this leaves the
stubble to plow down, and SO between
root, leaf and stem, the clover plant
contributes several tons to the acre.
cut a heavy crop Of seed in August
1886, and plowed under the stubble
and seeded the field to wheat. The
past spring, 1888, 1 plowed the same
field for corn, and the soil was full of
vegetable matter from the decayed roots
and stems, SO thoroughly decomposed
that one could crunble it like snuff be.
tween the thumb and finger. Theoret-
ically, a bushel of clover seed is sufic.
lent for ten acres, and under favorable
conditions this amount will give good
stand, but l find it profitable to use
more seed, and find ten pounds to the
acre Done too much. Some years since
a firm manufacturing clover hullers
sent out number OF questions to the
men operating their machines, and
among them was what amount of seed
to the acre gives the best return, and
the answer was bushel to six acres.
As recapitulation of this article, or
rather to enforce it, / say sow clover
with all small grain,, no matter what
/ =. = - - 4.