The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1906-11-01

pound it would be $3.50 per acre
beside the hay crop and winter pas
ture. | know of other farmers who
threshed $500 worth of alsike clover
seed from IS acres. This looks big,
but | saw the land it grew on and
the seed. The alsike is adapted to
low wet land, and it lives for years
without reseeding and the straw put
in the barn or under sheds makes
splendid feed for stock. By raising
clovers and alfalfa, after you get your
ground seeded, it requires much less
work than to put in an acre OF wheat,
while the wheat takes the strength
from the soil and it is less product
i've after every crop of wheat raised.
Glover builds up the soil and it grows
more valuable every year it is in clo-
yer. l know these things to be true.
| am raising alfalfa, alsike, red clover
and crimson clover on my farm and
they are all a success.
The country needs more clover
hullers, manure spreaders and live
stock, and less plows and binders.
More money can then be made and
with much less labor than at present.
This country is just the country to
make money out of hogs. Have your
clover or alfalfa fields and artichoGe
fields for them to run on and grind
up your wheat to finish them up on,
and learn TO feed to turn them off at
the time of year when the price is
the best This year hogs were 8 cents
a pound.
The way to get extra large wheat
crops is to pillow under clover or vetch
and these old rundown farms can be
made to yield 40 to SO bushels of
wheat to the acre, by blowing under
the clover, raising crop of wheat
and putting right back to clover again.
One wrong thing is still kept up, that
of burning the straw stacks. This
burns up large per cent of the part
that should be put back in the SOIL
There should be a fine of $4,000 for
burning a straw stack, as it is rob-
bling the soil of it's crop-growing ele-
ment. There is law to punish those
that rob bank, and there should be
law to keep people from robbing the
soil. Straw should not be threshed
in the middle of a cultivated field,
but in some out of the way place,
where the cattle, hogs, sheep and
goats can run to it all winter and eat
what they want. After the stock has
run over it all winer, it is ready to
be hauled out on the farm in the
spring to build up the land.
One thing more: While have been
encouraging the growing of clovers,
still stand by the vetch. While I am
shipping out vetch seed by the hun
dreds of tons to build up the soil
in other states, why should it not be
done here, too? Every farmer should
SOW vetch in the fall with the idea of
blowing under Is or 20 acres the next
spring when in bloom. This can be
done two years and that soil will yield
as good crop as it did the first year
it was broken up. If you don't believe
it try an acre and be convinced.
There is no more time lost than to
summer fallow; you are only out your
vetch seed. The time is coming
when nearly every farmer will build
up his land in this way.
l would like to hear from others
along the line of clovers, and building
up the soil. | will be glad to send
you directions how to prepare the
ground, how and when to SOW clovers
and alfalfa, and how to use land
plaster and inoculated seed to make
success in raising these crops.