The Republican journal., 1908-11-12

clover is not easily obtained, the land
should be lined, for too much acidity in
the soil seems to be the greatest draw
back to clover culture in New England.
Land plaster wood ashes, or fertilizers
containing much potash contribute to the
same end. The only precaution to be OBJ
served is in the case of farm where
potatoes are an important crop, for then
one must be cautious about lining; potato
scab may thereby be increased. In that
case fertilizer high in potash, such as
is used for potatoes, does much to improve
| the clover crop.
Some or all of the soiling crops men
toned are frequently desirable to fill gaps,
and when silage or hay is scarce they may
be desirable to feed all summer, along
with silage. 1t should be remembered,
however, that the use of soiling system
for the whole season is not, as rule, adj
visable on account Of the labor involved.
Wherever it is possible to grow corn the
silo shonld be depended upon, not only for
winter feeding but for the entire twelve
months in the year in case pasture is
scarce or poor in quality. 1t is the cheap
est way to get succulent summer feed II
| the land is at all limited in area or if the
pastures are not such as to produce good
feed in dry weather. In parts of Massa-
chusetts large milk producers consider
that it costs one cent quart more to pro-
duce milk without silage than with it.
| The chief difficulty in growing silage
corn in northern New England is getting
suitable variety, and farmers are
strongly urged to take advantage OF such
new varieties of silage corn as may be
offered for trial by the agricultural ex-
~
States or by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture, and also to select
their own seed in order to improve it.
In the most northern sections, such as
northern Maine, where corn is out OF the
question and potatoes fill the place of corn
in rotation, silage can still be made from
Japanese millet or other crops and succu-
lent winter feed thus provided. Clover
and Italian rye-grass are successfully
used for silage in the State OF Washing
ton. This combination is worthy of trial
in northern Maine.
1t should be noted that all, or nearly
all, Of the cropping systems that have
been mentioned here are dependent on
different variations OF one rotation.
Several different rotations may compose
the system on any farm, and one rotation
may follow another on the same field, or
different fields may be used continuously
in different rotations. The rotations, how
ever, are based on the one so common in
many localities that is, corn, small'grain,
grass. Corn may be replaced by potatoes,
and that is very protitably done in the po-
tato districts or in the most northern coun-
ties of New England, where corn fails. The
small grain may be left out and the grass
land clover) seeded in the corn, or may
be grown two years, instead of one.
The number of years of hay growing
may vary from one to five, and the small
grains may be used as grain or go to
supplement and enrich the supply of hay.
Even the rotations for soiling system
are usually based on the same foundation,
the crops for soiling coming after corn,
two of them frequently being grown in
year, and then the land put back to corn
again.
The essentials of the New England
dairyman in growing feed for his cows
appear to be the use Of short rotation
wherever possible; all the clover hay and
corn silage that can be grown; lining the
land for clover, if need be; better manage
ment, especially in the use of manure of
land which is not fit for short rotations;
and the utilizing Of the various other crops
that have been mentioned to fill the gaps
with succulent feed or add in quantity
and quality to the ordinary hay crop-W.
E. B.