The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-11-09
ALFALFA and CLOVER.
From the Progressive Farmer.

Messrs Editors: I see in the Pro-
gressive Farmer and Cotton Plant OF
September 81, an article from b. NJ.
Daniel, Hot Springs, N. c., in which
he says: "Our alfalfa seems to have
failed.entirely. / cut clean crop Of
crab grass from the patch recently" E"
Now, as my experience fits his case
precisely, 1 feel it a duty to give it, as
it maysave other failures. My age (S5)
is my excuse for poor penmauship
and scattered ideas, but as I have
gone through Mr.. Daniels experience,
I will begin with red clover, as they
need the same preparation, and in
many respects are alike. About sixty
years ago I began to farm, and want
ed red clover I began sowing it after
the plan at the North and West that
is, to sow the clover with some grain
(wheat preferred, Failure was the
consequence. After farming here for
several years, sold out and moved to
Cass (now Barlow, Georgia, where
the. land is fine, and we'll adapted to
clover if properly treated.
Feeling confident Of success, went
to work as before, sowing with some
grain. After two or three failures, /
had made up my mind to move again
if failed. Awhile before the time to
SOW wheat friend paid me visit
who had experience with clover, and
suggested that leave off the wheat
and SOW the cloeer5 alone, both red
and white. Ny success was complete,
and from that day to this have not
missed q stand, either in Georgia or
since the war in my native land, and
have growing some as fine as ever saw
anywhere.
The preparation is all. Sow in the
spring on la9d that has grown clean
crop the year before so as to extermi. !.
nate the crab grass for no crop that l
have ever seen will grow with the crab
grass. Select land where no crab
grass grew the year before, plough
and harrow until you get the land IN
the best condition you can then SOW
brodcast about eight or ten pounds to
the acre, about the middle of April,
and don't cut it the first year, un-
less the crab grass gets into it. 1t So,
NOV it when the first blooms turn
brown.
A very similar treatment suits tue
alfalfa. I call it lucerne; the new
name has got in, being the Mexican
for lucerne. By proper care you can
get a good stand, which will last fifty
years or more; the red clover will
need renovating after five years. You
can get two crops of hay from the red
clover, AID four or five from the lu-
cerue- The preparation for the lucer.
ne is like the clover, but you should
sow the alfalfa or lucerne in drills IS
inches apart, and use four or i've
pounds per acre. :.
You maay cut the alfalfa when it
gets foot high, and then every thirty
DAYS, until the middle Of September,
but never let an aaimal tread on it:
And there is no end to its life and
value, hut watch for the crab grass
it spreads in mysterious way, but 1t
is death to all crops. After you begin
to cut the alfalfa it will cut back the
grass. 1t is very important to keep
up the fertility of toe land, for you
cannot keep up land and get heavy
crops without fertilizing heavily.
Hoping this may save some farmer
from such error as young ones make,
with many good wishes, ! am truly
your friend.
J. Washington Watts.