The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-09-14
CLOVER FAILURE.
Some OF It's Causes as Seer by an
Iowa

Some Of It's Causes as Seen by an
Iowa Farmer
As a rule, not more than q clover
field out OF every three or four is a
good stand even In a favorable season,
and usually 1t is the fault Of the way
the field is managed either at sowing
time or after the nurse crop has been
taken of, says a correspondent Of The
Prairie Farmer. Most farmers do not
cover the seed deep enough. One Of
my neighbors has been trying to seed
q certain piece Of ground for four
years and has always failed. He in
variably sows his nurse crop usually
oats), then waits three or four weeks
and then sows his clover seed on the
hard ground without any covering.
The result is the seed does not come
up, or II 1t does come up and live until
harvest 1t Is sure to die when the
grain is removed and the young plants
are exposed to the hot sun. The root
Is not deem enough to stand the dry
weather that Is almost sure to occur
| about harvest time and directly after
harvest
Fall wheat or rye Is the best nurse
crop I have ever tried, preferably
rya but In many parts of the country
oats Is the principal small grain crop
| and must be depended upon for a
nurse crop. In seeding clover with
| oats I cultivate my oats ip and harrow
| once to smooth the surface Of the
| ground somewhat In order that none
| Of the seed win get covered too deep.
| Then I SOW my clover seed at the rate
Of ten pounds of clover and five
pounds Of timothy seed per acre. I
harrow enough after sowing the seed
to thoroughly pulverfze all clods and
smooth the surface. Do not be afraid
Of losing the seed by covering 1t up;
It viii come out all right 49,
II you use faii wheat or rye. SOW your
grass seed as early In the spring as you
can harrow the field and harrow until
the seed Is well covered: Il ought to be
| covered not less than M inch deep,
and two is better II the hand II at all
| light. + sowed q feld Of rye to clover
In the spring Of 1897. The ground was
quite hard so I narrowed It two or
three times before sowing the seed in
order TO get a. good seed bed, then !
sowed he-cioxer seed and narrowed
as many times more. Ny netghboT told
me I had ruined my rye,sbut I thought
nc4, and 1T any rate I cared more for q
1 good stand Of clover. than for Q few
bushels OF rye. The result was I bad
q fair crop Of rye ana d spsendtd stand
Of clover. The rye being somewhat thin
gave the clover q chance 20 do It's best.
Many times. ne nusse cxou isyieft
sstanding until ftsss toosftps. Iett HE
nurse crop be what It may, II should Be
cut a. soon @ spcss1htas for seeery ada55
Il standseaftst 4 could Be cut lessons
he chance to sa%e the young ciovez
I plants, for Il rapidly absorbs what Lit.
H moisture there h In the ground and
thereby robs the clover.
II thu condidons are favorable afeef
harvest, and nothlng = done toprevent
lie clover win heed cut. sIt 80 not ID
/ v4sable to let 4 bead for Il issthe na-
ture Of clover aftsr makusing crop a
seed to dia. IL ne dead n D situated
that you can pasturs the clover Oh, II
Will be an right, but II not convenient
to pasture run the mower over It Gel
high enough to clip the heads nicely
sndsiet them iie IN the ground. In cut.
ting the nurse crop cut the stubDle az
high as you can, as the gtubble win help
TO catch the snow and prctect the
young clover. Do not pasture Oh toc
short.
P1ow Vow For Next Years Whesa.
Through the Kansas FARMER, Pro
lessor George I. Clothier advises the
wheat growers Of that state to begin
the preparation Of the soil for nexs
years crop at once. There Is no accur
ate way t calculate the losses that al
Of our farmers annually sustain from
insufficient and untimely preparation
Of the soil, but there Is no doubt that
these losses amount t millions OF dol.
lars every year. f
No plant can grow and thrive in 9
seed bed consisting chiefly Of dry clods
and air spaces. The pillow very seldom
leaves the soil in a proper condition FOL
q seed bed. In order to bring it to the
desired condition, the soil must be pull
verified, fined, settled and supplied
with a quantity Of moisture sufficient
to promote vigorous plant growth. This
condition cannot be secured at this
time Of the year by preparation that
lasts only q few days.
Therefore, it behooves the farmers to
get the prospective wheatfelds plowed
and narrowed as o o as possible in or.
der that the preparation Of the sol
may be continued long enough to put
it in the finest possible condition. II
the land is plowed now, any rains that
fall between now and the LIST of Sep.
TENDER will be largely stored in the sol
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