Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1903-03-26
A STAND OF GRASS.

Varying Soil Conditions Call For a
Clean Cut Study.
We sow grass and clover seed upon
wheat in the spring, which necessitates
sowing with some of the hand operated
machines or from the hand, says
New York correspondent in National
Stockman. We use hand seeder and
the work has been fairly well done.
But when one compares the even stand
of the drill seeding there is, after all,
vast difference. Another spring shall
see to it that the fields are sowed over
each way, using half of the seed at
time.
Upon fertile land every small space
without clover or only partly covered
means a prolific growth of weeds. A
fertile soil, like civilization, has it's at
tendant evils. The thick seeding Of all
slow maturing plants and thin seed
ing of those cultivated or rapid grow
ing may be laid down as a safe rule. l
have seen just as good hay crop from
ten quarts of seed as from sixteen
quarts where no interference was pres
SIlJ IL 10 INV ltll SO a.
stool will grow from one seed. l would
not care to risk light seeding, however.
With wheat and oat seeding upon our
soils the contrary seems true. Light,
thin seeding of oats is far safer, par
ticularly where clover seeding is prac-
ticed. Oats are a nurse crop for clover
over a vast stretch of country and no
no lOnCr tiToOn Dntyuith.
standing they are unsatisfactory eX-
cept when very wet. Oats require about
SEQ pounds of water for each pound of
dry matter, and while the thin seeding
will draw heavily upsn moisture dur
ing the ripening days the clover will
have gained strong foothold in the
early growth of the plant.
Broadcast Sowing.
The oat plant does not grow rapidly
at once after coming up, but if sown
thickly the ground will be covered, re-
tarding clover growth. Broadcast oat
seeding either by machine or hand is
very unsatisfactory. All things consld-
cred, no method or machine for COM
bined seeding compares to a disk drill.
AlOtuCl DOlHl- AL tllulSoS w 1toIC VI
clover seed takes place each year by
sowing upon soil not garden fitted.
rich soil is not alone qualification for
a sure catch of clover. Soil texture is
absolutely necessary. | would prefer
to throw piece of land out of the reg
ular rotation than to seed before this
condition has. taken place, and, what is
more soils full of root growth like our
own cannot be made suitable in mo-
ment no matter how much labor is of
fered. Decomposition must take place
and chemical action go on. The more
labor employed the quicker this action
will follow. l speak from the view.
point of a dairy farm not deficient in
vegetable matter. Upon soils where
successive crop growing is followed the
principle would not apply. Then it is
question of getting more humus and
plant food into the soil. These varying
conditions of soils call for a clean cut
home study of our own farms.
The Farmer the Original Merchant.
The farmer needs to be educated to
know how to dispose of the products of
his farm, to study and understand the
markets, that he may know when and
where and how to sell, that he may not
be entirely ut the mercy of other class
es of tradeSmen, for the farmer is en-
phatically and necessarily a trades
man-nOt only a producer, but a mer-
chant, the original merchant. But this
opens a field too wide for present dis
cussion. We all know too well that the
farmer has long been suffering because
other parties fixed the prices of what
no sold as we'll as of what he bought