Milford chronicle., 1892-08-05
Scarlet clover No. |
rHE 1919 gARMgRsI eoLD Is

THE PENINSULA FARMERS GOLD MINE
Much has been written, and many have
testified to the endless value that this
gold producer is and will be to the far
uers OF this country wherever it can be
grown. And I am satisfied by practical
experience, that there is no end to the
benefit to be derived from it.
First, It is winter pasture ON the
Peninsula, and in the northern States for
colts, calves, sheep and hogs. One head
toevery acre willnot injure ii in the least.
Second, As an early green food to be
moved in the spring before other grasses
have made sufficient growth to even pas
ture up II, Ills golden food is Of an end
less value. Horses for work or driving
every day, will thrive upon it with half
the amount of grain as they would with
dry food; and cows will increase in milk
upon it and give yOu the very best quality
Of clover butter, from two TO three weeks
earlier than you would have it by depend
ing upon other grasses to pasture upon.
Third, By turning down in green
state, it is a mine of wealth from which a
most valuable phosphate is produced.
Therefore every farmer eau produce the
very best phosphate material upon his
own farm for less cost than the hauling
of so much manufactured phosphate and
stable manure. There is no loss Of time
in growing a crop of this clover on land
that is intended for most any other crop
in the spring. For example, crop OF
clover and a crop of corn can be grown
upon the same acres of land every year
for three years, as my experience teaches
me; and the improvements used upon
this land of four acres in the three years,
is one-half ton of Phosl haze to COM
mence with, as the land was too poor to
grow any kind Of crop three years ago.
Ihave turned down two crops of clover
and tOp-dressed once with thirty bushels
of lime per acre. Now the third crop of
corn promises forty bushels per acre.and
the land in high state of cultivation.
Fourth, If preserved in the silo, it is
mint of gold TO the dairy farmer to be
used as ensilage during the summer
months for the cows standing in their
stalls protected from the heat of the sun
and the tormentiug flies. The fourth
point OF value has not been my own per-
soual experience as yet,as have no silo.
But l can vouch for its great value in this
point from reliable men.
Fifth, As dry food cut and cured as hay |
when IN full bloom, all the leaves and
blossoms will be saved upon the stems |
when cut at this stage Of growth and its |
qualities as food fer all stock is superior |
to any other dry proyender, and you are
sure of heavy yield per acre as there is
no drouth in early spring to affect it.
Sixth, For the seed it has been a pro-
ftable crop to a few farmers and will be
yet to those that only try to harvest few
acres, even if the price should not be
more than three dollars per bushel Land
that will produce only ten bushels Of
wheat per acre with 200 lbs of phosphate, |
will produce ten bushels of clover seed |
without any phosphate Because the
average yield has not been more than
four bushels per acre the past season is
that NEST farmers have tried to save the |
seed from more acres than they could |
handle properly. Four acres saved III |
peach orchard by my own careful man.
agement turned ont % bushels of seed |
and I think one third of the seed grown |
OIL the four acres was wasted, as it is inn
possible to save more than two-thirds of
the seed in an orchard. But I consider
hat the saving of seed as a profit IS
very small part of the value to be derived |
from this clover. There is quite good |
many seed in the hands ofmerchants and |
a few farmers vet, but the demand should |
be double the supply this season, and
would be if the farmers were better &C
uuainted Of its value. do think that !
the Agricultural Department at Washing |
ton should have used its hundreds of
clerks in publishing and sending out di-
rections to thousands of farmers how to
grow and instructing them as to the value
this crop would be to them, and a few
thousand bushels of seed distributed
would not have been condemned by the
people who bear one another's burdens.
B. F. B. WOODALL.