Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1910-05-13
RED CLOVER
GOODLCROP
STATE COLLEGE, EXPERIMENT
STATION DEMONSTRATES IT'S
AVAILABILITY TO PALOUSE
SOIL.

|
demonstrated that red clover can be
grown successfully in the Palouse
country.
In 1903 a small piece was seeded
on a gentle south slope. The follow
ing year this yielded three and one
half tons of hay per acre. In the
year 1907, field of IL acres was
sown with clover seed secured from
| thirty-tWo different sources. The
seed, in many instances was poor,
so that a stand on a portion of the
field was incomplete on account of
the poor seed. The yield the next
| season for the entire field was 2.35
| tons per acre. For that part of the
field where the stand was complete,
| the yield was over three tons of hay
per acre.
In the year 1908, this yielded 80
tons of cured hay per acre.
In the year 1908, a 12-acre piece
was seeded to clover, which the pre-
sent season produced 81 tons of cur
ed hay. This spring 20-acre field
was seeded with six pounds per acre,
and at present the clover stands one
foot high, and as evenly as it is pos
sible for it to stand.
The secret of the success on the
station farm of growing clover lies
| in the preparation of the soil, and
the manner of seeding. The station
aims to secure a firm, well worked
seed bed with a fine, shallow, mel
low surface mulch to hold the mois-
ture This is usually secured by
blowing the field and leaving the
land rough over winter so that the
winter precipitation will be absorb
ed more completely, and the furrow
will be settled and firmed through
the action of the winter rains.
As soon as the ground is fit to
work in the spring, the burrows are
worked down with whatever tool the
condition of the soil demands. in q
good piece of soil, a spiked tooth
harrow is all that is used. In some
cases where the soil is rather hard
| or wild oats are bOthering, a disc
harrow is used, but is not set to cut
deep.
The land is allowed to lie for 6
couple of weeks for the termination
of the weed seed, when the sur.
face is given thorough working tC
produce the desired mulch. A grair
drill with a grass seeder attachment
is then used for seeding The spouts
of the drill are slipped off the
grain box, and attached to the gras.
seed box, SO that they will conduct
the grass seed, or clover down into
the shoes or discs of the drill, JUS
as in seeding wheat.
The discs, or shoes, are then sci
to run shallow. If a firm bed has
been secured, this manner of seed
| ing will not place the seed too deep
but will place it under the mulch in
the permanently moist earth, so thai
there is an almost absolute certain.
| ty of securing a stand Of clover il
good seed has been purchased. II
| the seed bed has been worked III
deep and loose, this system of seed
| in 10 tn h.,
deep that it will never come up.
| In case the ground is plowed in
the spring, it is necessary to work
down the furrow artificially. In sucl
cases the station has followed the
practice of preceding the drill witt
a planker, or some sort of packine
tool, SO that the drill following viii
not run too deep.
Stock should be kept off the clio
yer during the summer and if weeds
grow too vigorously, they should be
clipped off rather high, so that the
clover will be checked as little a.
possible. The old belief that clover
and alfalfa will root better by be
ing pastured or cut back is a fall
lacy.
If the clover has made a good
growth by the latter part of the sea.
son, there is no objection to NOV
ing it, or feeding it off, though stock
should not be kept on the clover
late in the fall. If the soil is baked
pretty hard by the following spring
it is best to loosen it by the use Of
disc and spring tooth, or Emerson
alfalf harrow.
Red clover does not usually pro
duce profitably longer than two
years after the year of seeding. bu
it leaves the soil in magnificent con
dition for succeeding crops. The ole
saying that red clover is the "kine
of the manunal forces" Is no les,
true in the Palouse country thar
elsewhere.