The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1894-01-03

/ am a firm believer in the value of
clover as a farm crop, writes a cor
respondent of the Practical Farmer. A
few years ago the principal forage crop
grown on our farm was timothy. Glover
was sown. but was not considered a re-
liable crop, on account of lifting sc
badly by the action of the frost.
The land being what is termed white
oak, the lower parts having an occa-
sional burr oak and walnut, this latter
being the best soil naturally, but for
clover as unreliable as the higher clay
points. Timothy grew well and yielded
good crops on this land, but wheat was
uncertain. and the yield of the corn crop
was dependent to great extent on the
nature of the season; if a wet season.
the crop would be light.
We thought to increase our crops by
manuring, sub-soiling and making an
extra effort to grow clover. being salts
fed that the soil would not improve by
growing timothy. Manure did not i'm
prove the condition Of the soil, in fact
it appeared TO grow heavier and more
solid. By an effort at sub-sOiling, we
had a failure Of a corn crop. Clover
did not do better than in years gone by.
The clover crop we must have, and to
secure 1t we set about to tile drain the
land. This has made clover a safe and
reliable crop. It's mechanical effect on
our land is wonderful; for years the land
had been plowed not To exceed five
inches deep, any effort to pillow deeper
was at the expense of horsehesh and
the fast wearing of plOws, and a still
greater risk of crop failure on account
of sub-soil thrown to the surface The
depth at which the plows had formerly
run was clearly defined by the appear
ance of the soil on examination.
Two or three good crops of clover in
rotation with other crops has changed
the condition Of the soil to such an ex-
tent as to almost obliterate the clearly
defined line between the soil that had
been turned by the pillow. and the sub-soil.
We found 1t an easy matter, under this
condition OF the soil, to increase the
depth Of blowing, and that without dan
ger to the succeeding crop on account
of new soil thrown TO the surface.
Clover is accomplishing for us a work
that IL would have been almost impossi-
BILE to accomplish in any other way. By
its continued use we expect to secure
working soil of any depth we may de-
sire. With the knowledge we now have,
we would not think of deepening our
soil in any other way than by its use;
it will do better and safer work in
clay land than any sub-soil pillow.
Attention Needed in Young Orchards.
Prof. Waugh calls nOtlce to the fact
that apple orchards in the western
prairie states, and especially young ones
of two or three years growth, are show
ing woeful amount of damage now that
the growing season is over and the
leaves begin to fall away. Insects of
many species have been at work during
the summer, but during the growing
months foliage was rapidly replaced by
new growth. Since the renewal has
ceased the insect work has become more
apparent; and ] have to say that 1
never saw so much of it in any other
year. With many young trees it amounts
to absolute defoliation. In some cases
the same statement would apply to
whole orchards.
Leaf rollers have been chiefly respon-
sible for the damage. The apple leaf
crumpler, mineola indigenella, and the
apple leaf webber and tyer are the most
prominent trespassers. Their pupae are
now the largest burden of the young
apple branches. The webs and crum-
pied leaves which show their work pre-
sent a very unsightly appearance where
healthy leaves and clean twigs ought to
be.
What ought to be done? This is al
ways the practical question. First and
most evidently, the pupae ought to be de-
stroyed. Great numbers of them can be
gathered by hand as they hang now to
the trees rolled up in the crumpled
leaves and tied in the webs. Those which
are not so destroyed remain to augment
the army of depredators next year
Though 1t might not be economical to