The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1909-07-17
FOOD VALUE OF
CLOVER Hay

Farmers as rule, do not appreciate
the iull value OF clover as hay. limo
thy hay costs more in the market than
does clover, which has led many farm
crs TO believe that timothy has a high
er nutritve value than clover hay.
They assume that as the city livery
man or horse owners, buy timothy
in preference to clover that they are
better Judges OF the feeding value of
hay than they are themselves.
Nearly all the hay sold in the city
market is sold to horse owners whose
animals are used for light driving or
light work In such cases timothy is
to be preferred: not that il contains a
higher nutritivc value, but for the rca-
son that il carries less dust with il, and
there is less danger oi the animals eat
ing too much of L. 1t is also less risky
in the matter of the hcavcs.
Clover can easily be grown, and yet
how few barns are filled with IT, Too
many cattle are iattcncd on corn and
other hay some odd cottonsccd meal,
oil cake. or similar heterogeneous con-
centratcI to the ration, all OF which
pfodr-cS good results, but the rule on
INC ldI III Nll'''l'i w NllAl ~ liiAlA ~ Vlll'
renous feed aS il is possible to grow,
should be produced, and thus save the
expense 81 larrc Purchases OF oil meal.
Clover hay u an excellent roughaec
to be led. iaucning cattle in large
quantities Some feeders begin the
feeding period with two pounds OF
clover hay to every pound OF corn,
The amount Of hay is reduced grad
ualy. and the corn increased until to.
ward the latter part Of the feeding per-
iod when three pounds OF corn are fed
to every pound oi clover hay. Feed
ing clover hay 10 that extent il is
hardly necessary To give oil meal. eN-
oept during the last ioir weeks oi the
feeding period
Dairy cows also thrive on clover hay,
and corn and clover makes a very good
ration for them a good thrifty COW
will eat - pounds 81 clover hay and
six pounds 81 corn daily Such n ra-
ton would have n nutritiyc ratio of
-, which is narrow enough ior milk
production.
But two or three pounds Of bran and
four or dyc pounds Of corn. together
with all the clover hay cow will eat,
is still better ration Where corn
fodder or other hay is substituted for
clover hay. more heterogeneous concen-
tratcs and less corn must be fed.
SOWING CLOVER SEED.
Clover seed must not be sown too
early nor too late. In the case OF the
former. the seed, for lack Of sufficient
heat. NAV lie for a time in the cold,
clammy earth, and then rot. or ii il
should receive sufficient heat TO half
terminate il. the result. would be a
sickly and Stuntcd growth which would
soon end in death
On the other hand. il sown too late.
there is apt to be 4 deficiency in mois-
ture. which. together with the choking
effect OF other rapidly growing vege-
tation, results in failure. But, as a
general thing. there is less danger in
sowing early than late, no doubt from
the fact that nature. II allowed her
own way. casts her seed during fall
and winter
The best time 10 SOW is when il is
reasonably sure that severe winter has
passed, and spring is about budding
out-a period when the ground is still
perfectly loose from recent freezing,
and vet not in the solid condition which
comes with spring
The idea is to SOW At a time when
the seeds are most likely to be imbed-
ded in the soil. for no seed can GERM
nate properly while living on the top
q the ground
Il surely paws ~ usr none hut the
best quality q seed There IS almost
invariably 'ar less difference in the
price than in the quality. To- say moth
Ing AZ the disastrous result, that may
come from polluting the soil with var
ious kinds 81 weeds probably unknown
r. the farm before Buv nothing but
fr,,-c'a,s seed and thu, avoid this dan
re-