Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1902-05-16

! ciONef ana 10 rs very nearly as good as
! It was at this time last year I have
! one field OF clover OF about thirty acres
which I slowed in the spring Of 1900
: ID cutting the stubble Ia the fall there
was 50 much clover on ground saved
and baled a ton of hay per acre This
hay sold for $14 per ton. In 1901 /
turned my hogs into the fold, and
AFTER saving my other clover I cut
this neid and the yield was about q
ton per acre. think there is the best
stand or clover in this field now I
ever saw. Every acre Of clover I had
last year was worth $25 to me.
If any Of you good farmers want to
see something pretty in clover just
come over.
Second paper by Jen. J. CARROT, of
Pembroke:
GRASSES AND CLOVER.
Mr.. Chairman take it for granted
that you want my experience.
limited as it is, and not a repetition of
ideas gathered from the writings Of
Others The first requisite for the sue
cessful cultivation of any farm crop, is
suitable soil; secone favorable aver
age, climatic conditions, and with these
must be combined intelligent cultiva-
ton end an unceasing attention to the
details incidental to the same
! l have never been so fortunate as
to have any land truly we'll suited to
I timothy, but for the past three years
have harvested two and one-half to
three and one-half tons of hay per acre
from about seven and one-haH acres.
This land was in tobacco in 1896. In
stock peas in 1897 After the peas were
''hogged" down, fallowed the ground
about seven inches deep, gave it several
thorough harrowings, with both disc
and smoothing harrow, and rolled be-
tween borrowings until had COM
pact ii the surface almost like a dry
summer road. I fortified as follows:
Two hundred pounds of steamed bone
meal four hundred pounds of ashes
(from firing tobacco) and ton of to-
bacco stems cut to one inch in length
per acre.
The seed (one-third of a busheD
were sOwn with a wheelbarroW seeder,
and lightly narrowed in before the
stems were scattered. which were left
on the surface, expect some people are
ready to say that went to considerable
expense to get a stand of grass.
/ We'll, 1 confess that I did. but I did
not set out to do the thing as cheaply
or quickly as l could, but wanted to do
enough to make profit on my effort,
and the results fully justified my doing
so much, because the first crop of hay
sold for 1856 from the seven and one
/ half acres. Owing to the cool dry win
ter of 1900 and 1901, together with
lack Of rain in April and May of 1901
the last crop was considerably shorten
/ ed, and at this time am sure that the
meadow is injured beyond recovery,
and will have to be plowed up in a
/ year or two.
/ am convinced that this is not tim
othy land, because the life of a meadow
is too short.
With me, orchard grass has proven
good grazing but rather poor hay, and
very uncertain about getting a good
thick stand, which is very essential.
My main dependence for winter graz
ing is a lot on which a former owner
had tried to get stand Of orchard
grass that now has a good stand Of
bluegrass.
/ have had hogs or cattle, and most
of tho time both on this lot every single
day for the past seven years, and the
bluegrass is improving all the time. OF
! course. you will understand this growth
Of bluegrass is spontaneous.
| The bluegrass and I have had a battle
with the sedge grass (broOm sedge),
but am sure the farmer will win
Now, we come down or maybe more
truthfully "up" to clover.
The medium or red clover is with me,
as with the majority of cur farmers,
preferable to the mammoth or sapling.
My method of seeding is the same as
is generally followed, that is, sowing
in February or early March on frozen
ground, and have never failed to get
stand in the spring, but the summer of
1899 and 1901 completely knocked the
young plants out.
/ I hear various theories advanced as
to why the clover died, but to my mind
/ it was in both instances a clear case
of lack of moisture to sustain the grow
/ ing plant. / have found tobacco refuse
/ stalks. stems or tobacco trash OF any
kind. scattered on land where young
clover is growing, to be very injurious
/ to the plant.
Can not explain it but such is my ex-
pefleHce. 1 nave applied land plaster
/ 600 pounds per acre), broadcast on
clover. generally about three weeks be-
/ fore expected blooming, and 1t was a
profitable venture ! have discontinued
the practice, because I can not get a
practical machine for distributing the
plaster and, as you know It must be
applied when the plant is wet with dew
or rain, and doing the work by hand
is very laborious as well as likely to
produce rheumatism.
But assuming that 7 have a Geld of
clover ready for harvest. I will pro-
coed as follows: I have already ar
ranged my other work so that can run
my mowers, rain or shine, all day Sat
urday / take the chance of having
sunshine Sunday. / start the tedder
Monday morning as early as the driver
can see where to drive and keen the
tedder kicking right merrily (don't for
get to put a double team to your tedder
and driDe) until the hay begins TO get
dry enough to break; be sure you never
tedder dry hay. If your snath lies so
thick that the part next to the ground
is still green after the top is cured, wait