Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-01-22
GROWING GLOVER.
Tho Importance of Drainage In Securing
Good Crop.


! Good Crop.
For the last ten years, writes Wost-
ern farmer to the Country Gentleman,
/ have closely read all could find that
related to growing clover. My farm is
principally clay soil, what may be
termed black, is underlain at depth OF
fifteen inches with stiff, yellow clay.
! This land grows the finest quality of
timothy for hay, but l soon found it
could not be kept up by using timothy
in the rotation with wheat and corn.
The clover would be lifted out the first
winter, and manure on some of the best
Of it gave NO return when the season
was wet. To secure clover one must
tile-drain, and l am doing this in SO
thorough manner as to prevent the
frost from lifting the clover, believing
that when clover can be grown to per-
fection other crops are safe.
In the winter OF 1884, / tile-drained
the wettest parts of an eleven-acre field,
putting down about $50 rods of tile,
three feet deep. Since then fifty rods
more in places where the clover would
freeze out. In the spring of 1884 this
field was broken and planted in clover.
In the fall sown in wheat Spring of
1885 clover was sown at the rate of one
bushel to five or six acres. The wheat
proved worthless on account of winter
killing. The clover made fair catch,
and had struggle to survive the shadow
of the rag weeds, which grew till after
harvest, when they were cut down and
allowed to lie to protect the clover. The
weather being favorable the clover made
wonderful growth in August and Sep
tember--to prevent smothering it was
pastured till there was danger of kill
ing the plants by tramping while frozen.
The next season / cut nearly two tons
of clover per acre from the field, saving
the second crop for seed, cutting with
self-raking reaper, which left the
clover in gavels, out Of the way of team
and machine as they passed around at
work. This machine leaves the heads
fully exposed to air and sun, but few of
them being underneath the lunches.
Could l have secured huller in the next
three weeks after cutting this clover
would have made splendid cattle feed
after hulling, as it cured perfectly in
the gavels, but before it was hulled the
rains had blackened and partially rotted
the straw. The clover was only fair
stand, but the work of the huller showed
that it was we'll filled, as it yielded
three bushels per acre.
The following winter the crop of hay
was fed to live stock, part of the hnulm
passed through the stables and feed lot,
the remainder was spread over the
land. That going into the manure
heaps was returned to the land with a
sufficient quantity of other barnyard and
stable manure to cover the field. Tho
stable manure was spread as made,
plowed and planted to corn, following
the corn with wheat the last week in
February or the first week in March
following; seeded again to clover, same
quantity of seed as before. l may say
here that this crop of wheat made
twenty-five bushels per acre. The
catch of clover was excellent, as good.
think, as any clover grower could do
sire. AS the season last year
was very favorable for the
growth of clover we had a very
heavy crop after the wheat, which we
cut for seed, but the rainy weather pre-
vented our having it hulled, not having
it stacked. think it would have made
at least one bushel per acre. To pre-
vent the smothering of the plants
under the gavels this clover was hauled
to the stables and lots to increase the
manure heap.