The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-14
Crimson Glover.

Crimson Glover.
Year by year experiments and ex-
periencs go to prove more and more
the Importance of keeping land es-
pecially in the South. covered with
| growing crop of some kind if the fer
tility of the soil is to be conserved
and increased, says the Southern
Planter. The crops suitable for this
purpose in the winter months are con-
| fined to the hardy cereals, like wheat,
winter oats and rye. and the clovers
| and yetches. II the cereals are used.
they merely conserve the fertility
without adding to it, whilst if the
clovers and vetches are used, they not
only conserve but increase the fertility
by their power of abstracting nitrogen
from the atmosphere and fixing it in
the soil. 1t is, therefore, of the high
est Importance that the growth of the
cloVers and vetches should be encour-
aged. OF all the clovers, the one most
suited to Southern climatic soil and
crop conditions is the Crimson or Ger
man clover. If sown in the late sum-
mer or early fall months, so that it
secures good roothold before the period
of cold weather sets in, 1t will make
continuous growth during the winter
unless the weather be very severe, and
will perfect that growth in time to be
either cut for forage, made into hay or
be plowed down so that a summer
crop can be grown on the same land.
In addition to this adaDtability, it is
more valuable as a gatherer of nitrogen
than either the Mammoth or Medium
Red. In an experiment made at the
Cornell Station, New York, seeds of
these three varieties of clover were
sown Aug. l. and the plants were dug
Nov. 4, three months and four days
after the seeds were sown. An acre of
the Crimson clover had in that time
gathered 156 pounds of nitrogen, an
acre of the Mammoth clover had gath
ered 146 pounds, whilst an acre of the
Medium Red had only gathered 1913 1-3
pounds. Taking the value of this nj
trogen at only 10 cents per pound as
against is cents. the usual rate used
in estimating the value of nitrogen
in fertilizer, because of the possibly
less available character of that
nitrogen than if in the form of
nitrate, as in nitrate of soda, we have
here fertilizer value in the case OF
the crimson clover of SIS for the nitro
gen alone gathered in three months by
at most 10 to 10 pounds of seed, cost
ing say from 81 to 81. In addition to
this fertility added to the land, the
crop itself makes constant pasturage
during the winter ana spring months
and heavy yield of green feed or hay
by the month of May or June if the
stock lis taken off in April Crimson
clover and cow-peas grown in success
sion make two crops in practically one
year, which will outyield even the al
falfa of the West in quantity and
value as feed The average compo-
sition of either crimson clover or cow
peas rivals that of alfalfa in ,digestible
nutrients. In experiments made re-
Gently. alfalfa yielded Oh the average
of two tests as tons of dry hay per
acre, crimson clover made 2.3 TONS and
cow-peas 2.2S tons per acre, hence the
combined weights of the two last
nared crops surpasses that of alfalfa
alone by quarter of a ton per acre.
Alfalfa rarely makes. more than a
very light crop the first year, whilst
| crimson clover and cow-peaS can be
relied on to produce a maximum crop
If only a stand is secured. At the
Delaware station, Dr. Neale, in one
test with peas, secured the fol-
lowing results: July 10, 1900, threshed
34.1 bushels of rye from shocks on one
! acre; July IL, plowed stubble, and July
IA, drilled 20 pounds New Era seed
peas per acre in rows 80 inches apart;
July %, replanted; cultivated July %,
20. and August 10; ripe seed first seen
silo September 2S. Total yield, nine
tons of green vines per acre. This
crop could have followed a Crimson
clover crop which would have come off
at least a month earlier than the rye
crop. and thus have easily allowed of
the COW peas being made into dry hay
| and been followed by another crimson
clover crop Coming off even in Sep
| TENDER would admit of the seeding OF
alA L.
! good crop made seeded in November,
though such late seeding is very UNI
certain and not to be advised. After
| the 1st of October it is better to seed
| Netches for a month and later to SOW
| rye. The only objection we know of
| to the Crimson clover crop is the un-
certainty of securing a stand. 1t is
| easily killed out by drought or frost
when newly terminated. To avoid the
loss of crop on the land in such cases
| we advise that wheat or winter oats
be seeded with the Crimson clover, say
| half bushel to the acre. In seeding
! Crimson clover it is we'll to sow at diff
| ferent times from July to the LIST of
| October. Some of the seedlings may
be lost through drought or frost, but
| all will not fail. 1t is not necessary
to replow land that has been we'll pre-
| pared for the previous crop. Cut it up
and roll, If the ground Is dry enough
| We prefer in all cases to SOW some
| wheat or winter oats with the clover
| as these grains hold the crop up and
make 1t easier TO harvest, whilst add
| ing to the weight of the yield We
| know of parties who sow Crimson Glow
er with millet in July. The millet Is
| ready to cut in about sixty days and
is made into good hay, and the Grim
son clover follows for a spring crop.
For pasture. il may be seeded with
| turnips or rape during this and the
next month. Sow ten pounds of Grim
| son clover and two pounds of turnip
or rape seed to the acre. The best of
the turnips can be pulled out for winter
use. Some mix wheat, oats and rye
also with the clover and rape, and Sc
| cure excellent winter and spring graz
| ing. Don't fail to adopt one of these
! plans, and thus grow crop which will
help your land and your stock instead
| of crops of weeds which will deplete
the fertility and make labor for an
| other year.
Spray Pumps.
There arc SauaroI binds