The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-08-25
THE FARM AND HOME.
CLOVER IN RELATION TO + 8 RI
TlLlTY q = THE SOIL.
70 Prevent Winter Killing Keeping Ap-
Ples--A Remedy for Lice-Care for
CoWs--stock Notes and
Home Hints.
Glover to Maintain Fertility.

'5~N.St - 3y wi paper asked me
70 devote one paper to the question
OF clover in its relation to maintain
ing the fertility OF the soil. writes
waldo f. Brown in the National
Stockman. He asks how best to
manage it TO secure stand; if any,
thing can be done to prevent winter
killing. and how to get the most fer
tility out Of it without reference to
It's value for any other purpose.
In our changeable climate, where
we can never tell whether the spring
will be wet or dry, and where a week
OF summer weather in March or curly
in April is frequently followed by sew
eral days of hard freezing we cannot
always be sure Of Il stand OF clover
but since | adopted this rule (ten
years or more ago) Of sowing early
from February 20 10 March TO- have
had only one partial failure, and we
have had several severe tests in this
period. do not care so much for
ahe date of sowing. az for the condi-
tions, and the most favorable condi-
tlons are bare Or nearly bare ground
sharply frozen clear sky and rising
temperature, so that the surface is
sure to thaw in the middle of the day.
The reason l object to sowing on a
snow or unfrozen surface is that a
sudden thaw or heavy rain is
likely to wash the seed into
punches, or on rolling land some of
it may be washed entirely off the field.
Sown early under these conditions the
seed is covered by one or two freezes.
and is in much less danger of being
killed by the late freezes than if it
lies on the surface and sprouts, and
also | believe, less liable to perish in
spring drought. also use more
seed than is customary with most
farmers. u bushel to five. or at most
six acres. I would defer sowing the
clover until some time in April if had
land OF such a character that it could
be narrowed both ways. but on a clayey
upland we can very rarely use the
harrow to any advantage and usually
not at all until the wheat is too large
and so l find early sowing and frost
to cover it the best and surest r..
Much can be done I think to pre-,
vent clover from winter killing. and
one OF the most essential things on
many farms is under drying. On
sprouty clay soils it is almost impos-
sible to prevent the clover from heav-
ing out without thorough underdrain-
ing: Good winter protection in the
way OF a mulch is OF great benefit on
most soils and this can always be had
at very slight cost by cutting the
wheat rather high, and not pasturing
the clover at all and clipping down
the stubble and clover together about
the first of August. In cutting it for
this purpose the track clearer should
always be removed and then all the
clover and stubble falls just where it
stood and is not punched but is even
ly distributed over the SOIL and furu-
ishes a winter protection that will
save field from freezing out which
would be greatly damaged if it was
pastured off closely in the fall. so that
the plants are left with no pro-
lection. l do not believe that
any farmer unless his lands are very
rich. can afford to pasture
young clover at all the first summer
and l practice what l preach in this
line, for have not turned a single
animal on young clover for twenty
years past and as soon think of turn
ing my stock into the corn or wheat
fields as on the young clover. While
l would advise the draining of all
wet lands | know that is costly, and
most farmers must do it gradually as
they have the means. But they need
not decide that these wet lands cannot
be benefited by clover because it will
unusually freeze out the first winter,
for by liberal seeding and not pastur-
ing at all magnificent growth to
thoroughly cover the land can often
be had the first fall. I have followed
this plan as an experiment now for
twenty years on a field OF about
twenty acres and l never saw
heavier growth Of clover at any
season of the year than I have on
this field in October from seed sown
the previous March.
think that to get the greatest
benefit to the land from a clover crop
and at the same time make money
from it, I would recommend the
following plan: First leave all the
growth the first season on the land
and cut it once, or if the season is one
to produce a heavy growth, twice. If
left to make all its growth and fall
down 1t sometimes will smother out
and kill the plant. I have had this
occur with the mammoth variety.
The next season cut the first growth
in The same way and leave it on the
land and then cut the second crop for .
seed. | know that it is a popular
idea that to grow a crop Of clover
seed exhausts the land, but think it
erroneous. and so far as benefit to the
land is concerned I would much
rather grow seed than to have
the crop cut for hay Whyp
Because the ground is shaded
longer and mulched better when
crop is cut for seed. the clover being
allowed to stand and ripen until in
handling it most of the leaves fall off
then we have the haulm to- put back
on the field. Managed as I recon.
mend the field will be thoroughly
mulched for an entire year and