Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1896-06-18
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CLOVER
ne Sure to Cut Clover Early
Enough

nc sure to Cut Glover Enrfy
Enough.
Inc dry weather, in many places. has
caused the clover crop to ripen rather
prematurely this season. and some
nelds are so short that it has been
deemed advisable to pasture them in
stead of harvesting. In harvesting
the clover crop be sure that you cut
esfly enough. If you have consider
able TO care for, begin cutting while it
Is a little too green, as it is most GER
tam TO get over-ripe before you finish.
Nhen the heads are browning nicely il
Is time to start the mower. With fair
weather it is a very easy job TO make
nice clover hay. | want my mower to
do its work of evenings. If the ground
is dry, | start the Eureka seven-foot
cut about 4 O'Clock, and NOW until /
nave as much clover hay down as my
force can get in the next day. l prefer
evening TO morning TO do my cutting,
for the reason that the grass is dry
n the machine runs better. and ii il
ready to take up sooner the next norm
ing than If cut when the dew is on in
the morning.
/ don't wait uiiti. the hay is cured at
all, but as o rs il is free from
moisture l start the loader, taking the
hay right out of the swath. / use the
keystone loader, for the reason that it
is the best swath-loader hat | have
ever seen work, and no dust or trash is
taken up with the hay. Towards even
Ing | load all my wagons and take
them to the barn, SO they can be I'M
loaded the next morning, while Ike
dew is drying off, and then all hands
are kept busy n no time hast.
l like n light NOW. and want the hay
put in close and nug without salt or
lime, as is often used. The hay be-
comes very warm, but after it passes
through the sweat it ONE out nice
and brown, with no dust or mould. In
this shape it is the very best kind OF
feed for all kinds of stock, not except
ing the swine and poultry.
If the weather is unfavorable. hot
and ShOwery. it next to impossible TO
make good clover hay. While the soil
is wet let the clover stand. 1t will be
better to let it rot in the field than in
the now. 1t saves lots Of hard labor
to leave IL in the field. and mouldy
clover hay is fit for nothing but ma
nure. The only way l eve succeeded
III UldklIS ldlF clONpT nay WlPH the
weather was ~unfavorable, was to NOV
it away with wheat straw, putting in
q load of clover and then a load of
straw. This dry straw absorbs much
of the surplus moisture in the hay. and
cures it up in fair shape. Stock will
eat considerable of this straw when it
Is fed to them with the hay.
/ always SOY the mammoth or sap
ling clover with my timothy. but g
a field is to be all clover | SOW the
common red. / have tried alsike, but
, ID is too small. The sapling clover rip
FMS with the timothy. and does not
| SO rank but wha; it makes an
excellent quality Of hay with the timo-
thy.
Glover, ripening, as it does, at n very
busy season. is apt to be neglected and
let stand until it is over-ripe, when
there is little left of it but stem and
head. Better neglect the corr crop a
| little than the clover field. if both can
, not be cared for in the very best possi-
BILE manner We never want my tim
! othy hay when we can get good clover.
The timothy will do to sell TO those
who do not know n good thing when
they see it.-Warder, in Journal of Ag-
r~iculture.