The River Falls times. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1894-1933, 1896-06-09
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HARVESTING CLOVER.
BE Sure to Cut Glover Early
Enough

Enough
The dry weather in many places, has
caused the clover crep to ripen rather
prematurely this season, and some
fields 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
early enough. If you have consider
able to care for, begin cutting While it
is a little too green, as it is most GER
tain to get Over-ripe before you finish.
When the heads are browning nicely it
is time to start the mower With fair
weather it is very easy job to make
nice clover hay. ] want my mower to
do it's work of evenings. If the ground
is dry, / start the Eureka seven-foot
cut about O'Clock, and NOW until |
have as much clover hay down as my
force can get in the next day. | prefer
evening to morning to do my cutting,
for the reason that the grass is dry
and the machine runs better. and it is
ready to take up sooner the next morn
ing than if cut when the dew is on in
the morning.
I don't wait until the hay is cured at
all, but IS soon as it is free from
moisture | 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 that / have
ever seen work, and no dust OF 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 the
dew is drying off, and then all hands
are kept busy and no time lost.
l like light NOW, and want the hay
put in close and snug, without salt or
lime, as is often used. The hay be-
comes very warm, but after it passes
through the sweat it comes 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 ~ot in the field than in
the now 1t saves lots of hard labor
to leave it in the field, and mouldy
clover hay is fit for nothing but ma
nure. The only way 1 ever succeeded
in making fair clover hay when the
weather was unfavorable, was to NOW
1t 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 sow the mammoth or sap
ling clover with my timothy, but wen
a field is to be all clover [ sow the
common red. have tried alsike, but
1t is too small. The sapling clover rip
ems with the timothy, and does not
grow so rank but what it makes an
excellent quality Of hay with the timo-
thy.
Glover, ripening, as it dCes at a 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 corn crop a
little than the clover field, if both can
not be cared for in the very best posi-
BILE manner We never want any tim
Othy hay when we can get good clover.
The timothy will do to sell TO those
who do not know a good thing when
they see it.-Warder, in Journal of Ag-
riclllture.
The influence of Light and Shade
Upon Vegetation.
Sunlight is one of the most important
agents in developing plants, the green
color of their leaves, fruit, twigs, etc.,
being generated by it's action. 1t is
not necessary to have the direct rays
of the sun, diffused light being suffi-