The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1894-05-31
Crimson clover for Hay or seed.

Crimson clover (trifolium incarnatum)
is known under a variety Of common
names-Annual, German, Scarlet, and
Italian This clover is easily grown,
and should come into quite general use.
1t is an annual. and consequently must
be re-seeded for each crop, which
makes it important to grow seed at
home. Seed may be sown from July to
October, but the land should always be
well prepared for it, or. if not it should
be well shaded, as under a growth OF
cow-pea vines, or in corn or cotton
crop, where the seed should be sown
when the crop is laid by. Grown in
this way it may be of great service in
enriching and holding the land from
washing It's growth is made in the
cool, wet part of the year, and 1T is
ready to be made into hay at a season
when planters are waiting for cotton
to vegetate for first working. This is
often a dry time, and the hay can be
quickly and easily cured 1t may often
be best to SOW this clover with oats, rye,
or barley, and cut all for hay in April
or May.
This clover will thrive on land in
moderate condition, bat, like some 9th
er forage plants; will pay best where
criycn a rich soil. The composition of
crimson clover hay shows it to be q
highly nutritious food 1t Is SO rich
that for any use 1t may well be fed
ov hay, or cotton seed hulls. When fed
for production of milk, the addition of
corn or corn and oats, viii tend to add
to the good qualities of the product.
The seed distributed in 1893 by the
II. c. Experiment Station Is part OF
crop of 2,6S7 pounds from l 3-S acres,
which is at the rate of /, 1856 pounds OF
seed in chatf per acre We have made
some tests on this, which if true for
the whole lot of seed, would yield at
the rate of 1895 pounds, or II 5-o
bushels per acre of clean seed This
seed usually sells at retail for ten cents
per pound, and dealers are now paying
So SO per bushel for it. The long, we'll
filled heads warrant this good cash
crop where Il good stand can be secured
on land in fair condition. 1t can be
grown in orchards for the Improvement
of the soil, as in Delaware, where it has
come to be Il standard crop. The one
draw back is that a special machine
must be used to clean the seed. A
clover seed huller is expensive, but
could clean the seed of u whole town
ship. and perhaps whole county by
moving around as is usual with thresh-
ing machines.
There are several advantages in grow
ing annual clover sufficient to induce
it's cultivation from purchased seed;
but #. instead of buying seed, it can be
to the cash crops, how much better to
take such steps as will insure its gene
raj planting.
In maturing a crop of seed care should
be exercised to pull out weeds and
foreign plants and so keep the seed
clean. Let the clover get ripe, but not
SO as to shell out too freely before cut
ting, and handle as little as possible
Pitch up into cocks from the swath
and draw in from the cocks in tight
wagons. If tough, the cocks may be
turned over from the bottom q half
hour before drawing to shelter. House
on tight floor and thresh out at the
first opportunity after the straw has
dried out enough to thresh we1l.-F L.
Emery. Agriculturist, n. c. Experiment
Station.