News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1891-04-23
Why Not Try 1t?

There are many changes which the
larger part of the farmers in this
county might make to advantage.
1t is easier to keep in the old ruts,
but enterprising, progressive men
are always looking for better ways
of doing things. To cling to an old
method of farming or doing business
Just because ones grandfather did
so, is not the way to make farming
pay. Take an example. Nearly
every farmer in the county will seed
down some of his land this spring
The majority will SOW grass seed and
it will be Timothy with little clio
yer. Many will use alsike in place of
the common red clover, and that is
probably an improvement especially
if the land is moist, but how many
farmers will SOW clover alone? Why
is it that farmers are afraid of SOW
ing this valuable plant? Probably
more real value can be got from an
acre of red clover than from an acre
of any other crop that will grow in
this climate. Two heavy crops can
be grown In a year, usually for two
years In succession. The stubhle can
then be plowed under and is worth
about as much for manure as
ton Of ordinary commercial fertil-
izer, clover roots and stubble being
rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen is the
most costly element of fertilizers and
clover has the power of taking nitro
gen from the air and putting it in a
form available for fertilizing purpos-
es, Red clover roots, too, go down
below the soil usually occupied by
the roots of other plants, and bring
plant food to the surface. AS some
one has said, "Clover goes down and
finds a new farm under the old one -
Why is it then, that so little clover
is grown around here? There are
two reasons. One is that it some
times wlnter-kills, and the other is
that the large stalks of red clover are
difficult to dry so that they will keep
well. AS to the first objection, where
clover is thickly sOwn on field by
itself, it is not, | think, so easily
killed by frost as when alittleis sown
with grass. And even if a crop of
clover occasionally fails from this
cause, we must remember that other
crops occasionally fail, but we donOt
for that reason stop growing them,
AS to curing clover, it may be neces-
sary, for the best results, To use hay
caps, but these are not costly, and
are very useful articles to have on a
farm. A square of plain cotton
cloth with loops at the corners is all
that is necessary, except the pins
which are simply sticks of wood just
large enough to run through the
loops into the hay, say a foot long
and little larger than q lead pen
Gil. -Four feet square is a good size
to have the caps. Cut the clover in
the afternoon when there is promise
of a spell of good hay weather. The
next afternoon, if the weather is
good, rake it up and let it lie in the
windrow over night. The next day
put in cocks and, if dry enough,
draw in in the middle of the day
while it is hot; but if it is not dry
let it stand q day or two or
more, covering with the caps. Clo-
yer makes good ensilage, but it is
better made into hay to be fed with
corn ensilage. Clover rowin is one of
the best substitutes for half grown
fodder corn to feed the COWS when
the pastures begin to fail.
And this suggests another change
which many farmers ought to make,
planting fodder corn in drills instead
of sowing it broadcast. The mass
of green corn which can be grown on
an acre when sown broadcast is not
worth nearly SO much as the smaller
amount obtained from an acre when
planted in hills or drills. Plant corn
for fodder so that the kernels will be-
gin to glaze before it is cut.
Another new leaf that it would pay
a good many farmers to turn over
is in regard to stabling cows i'll the
night during the summer. Many
leave their COWS in the barnyard
nights, the manure is thrown into
heaps, the rains wash it, the sun
dries it, the winds blow upon it, and
One-half or more Of the plant food in
it originally is wasted. 1t is far bet
ter to put the cows in the stable
nights, bed them well, throw the
manure under "a shed or into a cellar
and thus prevent this waste.
j. w. NEWTON.