The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-06-23
GOOD CLOVER STAND
Difference Of Opinion as TO 40
visibility OF Nurse Crop.
Good Plan to Sow It With Grain Crop
ON Prairie Soils to Provide
Summer Pasture for Cat
tie or Sheep.

A difference of opinion obtains as
IN whether clover should or shouid noI
ha sovn with a nurse crop. AS a RUE
II is sown with a nurse crop. In put
few instances IS it ever sown in any
other way. The object IN sowing
il thus is not because the nurse crop
is any aid in getting stand Dut De'
cause stand is thus obtained while
another crop occupies the ground ana
usually without any injury TO the
nurse crop from the clover Thus lar
if is distinctive gain sowing 1t mus
writes Prof. Thomas Shaw in DaKota
Farmer. This method of sowing is
likely TO continue in favor in the fu-
ture as in the past, but there may De
some instances when it would be bet
ter to SOW the clover without nurse
crop These will include conditions
where it is difficult to get stand OF
clover when it is being introduced into
areas where It has not been grown
heretofore.
Professor Porter, who is in charge
of the demonstration farms in North
Dakota, and who, by the way, is doing
excellent work, has found that under
dry conditions, as in western North
Dakota, a stand OF clover may be more
easily obtained when the seed is sown
without a nurse crop,
To encourage the future growth OF
the plants, it may, therefore, be wise
under those dry conditions to SOW the
seed alone. 1t has been found that
growing clover tends to bring inocula-
ton to the land But ii in order to
grow clover years following it must
be sown in that way then | question
very much If 1t will pay to SOW clover,
Notwithstanding its great value. That
would mean that the land would have
to be cared for one season without
giving any returns. The crop would
be obtained the year following There
would thus be but one years crop OBJ
tanned from growing the clover on the
land for two years.
There is the further objection to
sowing 1t alone. Unless sown on clean
soil, weeds would come up and shade
the crop about as effectively as the
grain. This difficulty could be met,
however, by clipping the clover back,
just as alfalfa is clipped back, where
alfalfa is sown alone The clipping
is done with the mower and early
enough to render 1t unnecessary to
remove from the ground what has
been cut off, 1t should be allowed to
lie there as a mulch.
1t may be asked why should it not
answer to SOW clover thus as we'll as
alfalfa? For the reason mainly that
alfalfa remains for years in the soil
when once established, but clover
does not If the clover crop remained
in the soil so that it would furnish
good crops for even two seasons in
succession. 1t might be a iudicious
plan to SOW 1t alone, if that were nee
essary in order to secure stand.
1t may be a good plan, however, to
SOW clover on some prairie soils with
grain crop grown to provide sum
mer pasture for sheep or cattle. The
pasturing of the grain should begin as
soon as it will furnish good pasture.
At first thought one would imagine
that the treading of the cattle or even
OF the sheep would destroy many of
the clover plants. Experience has
shown. however, that this does not
follow on many soils of the prairie. On
those that are light, moderate tread.
ing would seem to be helpful rather
than harmful
This method has some advantages
and among these are the following:
First, stand will be secured with
out losing a crop for the season. Sec.
ond, in some instances the treading is
helpful, as it firms the ground. and in
TINS way prevents the escape of mois.
ture, Third, the grazing removes the
shade from the clover, and this gives
strength of growth to the plants.
Fourth, the pasturing of the grain pre-.
vents it from unduly robbng the clio
yer of moisture, One chief difficulty
IN the way of getting a stand of clover
mus at the present time is lack Of
iencing, y second obstacle is the Iacl,
of live stock on the average farm