The Portland daily press., 1895-01-26
TRUTH ABOUT CRIMSON CLOVER.
As Told In a New Jersey Station Bulletin
Nv Professor voorhees,.

As Told In q New Jersey oedIiou Duiietin
nv Professor voorhees,.
Crimson clover will grow in any part
Of New Jersey being quite us hardy as
Che coul.non red clover and yielding
better hay and very early pasture. Grim
son clover is an annual. its best use be-
ing probably derived from seeding it i'll
the summer or fall for an early spring
crop. either for pasture, forage or green
,nai,ure. as it WithsratldS the winter. 1t
Is adapted for d wide variety of condi-
tious. both iii reference TO character OF
soil and method and time of seeding,
thopgh not as "a substitute for red clover
Spring seeding. either aloue or with
oats, gives summer crop. Fall seeding
may extend from July To October In or
chards berry patches, corn, among vege-
tables or apon raw ground following
after potatoes, Tomatoes, melons or other
crops harvested before September. The
seed should be lightly covered, DIS even
heavy rains bury it too deeply. Hot,
dry weather after sproutins also Injuries
The stand. 1t is not adapted for seeding
with winter wheat or rye. An average
of II pounds Of seed is sowu per acre,
and it should be of the best American
grown strains Eight pounds may BIZ
used alone or III orchards, while as much
as 16 pounds may be needed when soWn
with other crops. which should then be
we'll fertilized.
Crimson clover. in common with 9TH
er farm crops, requires good soils for Its
best development, though it is we'll
adapted to light lands, catching readily
and t1ourishing where red clover will
not thrive, and also making use of min
eral constituents which are not available
to the cereals The average yield on diff
ferent soils secured from full stand the
last week in May was 1914 tons of green
forage, which became 2 ITO tons Of dry
hay M uck larger yields have been re-
ported As a green manure to secure
available nitrogen this plant possesses
many advantages due to its time OF
growth. A crop six inches high on April
"a showed accumulation of nitrogen IN
the whole plant at the rate of l04
pounds per acre, or as much as Is con-
tanned in ten tons of stable manure, or
III CAB pounds of nitrate of soda. which
q costs $15
At. The clover grown thus early might
be utilized by blowing under to fertll1ze
the soil for such early vegetables, pota-
toes, melons and other crops usually
benefited by liberal applications OF nj
trogenous nanures. The advantages de-
rived from. this crop when used solely
as green manure are but slightly re-
duoed when the crop is fed to stock and
the resulting manure saved and return
ed to the field The fertilizing value OF
: the roots alone is equivalent in nitrogen
compounds and other organic matter to
three tons of stable manure.
In average seasons crimson clover
provides soiling crop excellent both in
yield and quality of product, lasting
about 90 days and at a time when other
forage is not abundant. The compost
ton and digestibility of this plant make
it superior to red clover, and in seasons
favorable to early haymaking the prod
net thus secured is not excelled by any
other farm crop for all purposes. 1t is
especially useful in the renovation Of
poor, sandy farms, Interest in this crop
is so great especially north of the thir-
ty-ninth degree, where it has not yet
been acclimated, that The New Eng
land Homestead invites the experiments
OF farmers on this product.