Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1893-07-29
THE CLOVER FIELD.
Treatment After Harvest--The Mower
Teeth Heat t,,c f,oy,r Teeth

Treatment After Harvest--The Mowers
Teeth beat t.,c Cows Teeth.
Close pasturing young clover after
harvest is the general custom, but some
farmers think moving instead has ad-
vantages that cannot be ignored if the
best results are to be secured. The OBJ
jections to pasturing ure that stock in
variably eat where the grass is weakest,
leaving the ranlSest growth as a last re-
sort. The consequence is an uneven
crop, besides irregular fertilization of
the soil.
The mower is far superior to pastur-
ing if we aim ut u clean field and fine,
even stand of clover and the crop when
well cured into hay. The principal ad-
vantages of this method are: We will
have o clean and even field for hay the
following season, but the most impor-
tant is the gradual eradication of bitter
weed, the worst weed pest on the farm.
Travel over your broad country during
the month Of September and find if you
can ripened stubble field with young
clover which is not overgrown with bit
ter weed. Why should this intruder at
every rotation of crops stand in its full
vigor, robbing the young clover OF so
much fertility. which the latter should
have. Pasturing does not destroy it, for
the stock will not eat it except as a last
resort. and when COWS eat it the result
is bitter milk
Now, brother farmer, why foster this
intruder at the expense of your better
friend Glover when 1t may be barred
outY asks Rural New Yorker CORE
spondent who no longer fears its en-
croachment. He says: Have you ever
thought of why or how it is always on
hand at regular period? OF course the
weed, as other weeds, is always ON hand
in our corn and potato fields, but not in
such quantity as in wheat stubbles. The
reason Is that we have been growing =
full crop Of well ripened seed on every
wheat stubble field sown with clover.
Instead of pasturing. NOW your young
clover, wheat, stubble, bitter weed and
all about the last of August or first of
September. or just before the seed of the
weed is ripe enough to terminate cure
the whole as hay. utilize it by throwing
it in front of tho stock in the stable, let
them pick out the clover and use the
stubble for bedding. II good growth, it
will be worth tons of hay In addition,
you have not sown crop of weeds for
next season, but do not think you have
done with it until you cease growing
seed, but just rs soon as there is no more
seed in the ground. and we grow no
seed, it will no longer trouble us, and
henceforth we may expect to grow pure
field crops instead of those mixed with
weeds.
In the foregoing plea for the new
clover culture there is not so much diff
ference in the cost of moving and gnaw-
ing off the clover field. On one hand
the cattle cat off part of the grass-there
is no cost to the farmer in the harvest
ing. The cattle, however, leave the
weeds and coarse grass-just what we
do not want left. The mower takes
everything. and later the cattle pick out
what they want and leave the rest The
only difference is that this selection is
made in the barn instead of in the field,
and the rejected stuff is put where it can
do no more harm.