Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-10-26

love H. fowls especially, and will pick i
olesn. Lucerne will grow upon any
land that red clover VIII AZ
Mr.. Wickham will plough up q to'era-
bly, good piece OF land, harrow II over
nicely, then sow ct the nate oil twenty
pounds Of lucerne seed TO the acre, and
then let il alone, not harrow it or ora8
tiff the seed are good-he will be sure
Of q good stand Of "the thing" and give
it the premium over German clover,
which is pretty growth, but 1t s'iiAss
me as being very near kin to rye In us
qualities. "Stock OF cattle and horses
will eat il ravenously." OF course they
will, as they will eat most any
green thing early in the spring but gct
no substantial strengthening beneht
from it. Then. too, it is an annual
when once cut. That's the last OF 1t. ana il
put into hay, it is as white as oleaoneo
cotton-choppy, light stuff. Yet II is
great thing to wash out horses IN early
spring IL lucerne is covered 700
deeply II will not come up well. Inc
only lot ever failed in was from this
cause. Try patch or go OF lucerne,
Mr.. Wictham, and tell US candicly what
you think of it after fair trial, both as
green food and hay. 1t is the grass Tor
q small farmer or one who has but little
lard for pastursge or hay. An acre OF
good lucerne will keep two horses, three
COWS, and half dozen hogs Oil the
spring and summer and furnish hay
enough to supply them literally all the
winter. Try it, gentlemen. Yours,
LEWIS h. GARSErr.
LUcKRSE-rTs COMPARATIVE VALUE
Progressive Farmer. Raleigh, N. CT
I an very sorry that SO few persons
know the great value Of lucerne patcn.
From twenty years experience IN the
culture OF it l know that one acre OF 1t
is worth four acres OF clover or any other
grass. / have got from four to SIX cut
tings per season, from twenty-four TO
fifty-seven inches high. Horses, mules,
cows, pigs, turkeys, chickens, and every
other fowl or animal that will eat grass
prefers lucerne. The sight or smell OF
it comes nearer making them laugh than
anything else you can offer them. A
patch well prepared and cared for mot
pastured) will last from twenty to fifty
years without any further expense or
labor. Every one who has seen my
patch from year to year II am as proud
of il as OF a gold-mine and show 1T to all
| cam either desires or determines to
have one if only for their milk-cow or pig.
Some Of the readers of your excellent
paper will want to know how he may
have Just such q valuable patch. 10
him. and to ali others who wish to have
and enjoy good things, l answer Go to
work in real earnest, not on acres hall
prepared, but on quarter or half acre,
prepared we'll and expressly for lucerne.
1t must be clean. No blue grass, joint
or wire grass, plantation, dock brlars,
weeds. or other noxious growths make
it rich as you would for any other crop |;
the richer the land the better the crop.
Land that will produce good clover will
produce good lucerne. IL it requires
one or even two years to prepare the
patch, it will be better to do it right
at once, then it will last life
time without further labor or ex-
pense. An eighth of an acre will sup
ply green food enough for four horses.
mules. or cows from June to October.
To secure good stand | prefer to SOW
10 to % pounds of seed per acre Ghis
year the seeds are 20 to 20 cents per
pound). Bow in March, if possible; not
| later than May LIST lone or two crops may
/ he cut the first year if season and soil
/ is all rightly. II you cannot get the
patch right keep on cultivating and pre-
pairing it to SOW about the LIST of Sep.
TENDER. 1 prefer September sowing If
seasonable. In good soil in twenty-five
or thirty years the root, parsnip-shape,
will penetrate to the depth of II to 70
/ feet. l mean what l ssy-feet, not
inches-hence, no danger of dry, wet
cold or hot weather killing it.
If you want good milk, butter, beef,
pork. chickens, ETC., try small patch.
As you live, the patch will grow larger
| ond larger. What Won do not feed green