The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-08-31
FALL SEEDING OF CLOVER.
Excellent Suggestions for tle Enabling
Of Farmers 10 Compensate for
Short Hay Crop.

"
farms this season has compelled
some change Of plans. What are
we to do with these fields?
The very best way to handle
these fields is to get them in
shape at once and seed them
down to clover and timothy, with
out any nurse crop. The follow.
Ing quotation Is from Prof. w.
j. Spilman's book on "F'arm
Grasses, and states better than
could hope to, the exact condi-
tons that | have observed over
aud over again IN the fields, viz:
"Just why wheat or other
gram sown with the grass should
be called a nurse crop is not
clear. 1t would be more appro-
pirate TO call 1t a robber crop.
The idea that 1t protects the grass
probably arose from the fact that
when the grain Is removed in
hot dry weather, the grasses are
apt to dry up. Having been
shaded and weakened by the
grain, they are unable to bear the
full heat of the sun, particularly
when the supply of moisture is
short, and the grain crop has
robbed them of their scant sup
ply"
Again | quote from Prof. Spill.
man as follows:
"lt Is we'll known that when
timothy is sown In the fall with
gram it does not make a crop the
next year. But 1t Is not so well
known that when timothy is sown
in the late summer or early fall
withouta a nurse crop it makes
the best crop of It's life the next
year. Another method, used ex.
tenSlyely by the most progress
i've farmers, is to SOW all the
grass and clover seed together IN
late summer or early fall usual.
ly late in August without a nurse
crop. This gives an abundant
harvest of hay the next year"
Let us apply these statements
TO our local conditions. We can
divide the farms into two classes
" those on which there has been
little or no trouble in getting
good stands of clover, and (N
those which have been having
trouble with the cloyer frequent
~ With the former class the
lall seeding of timothy and the
spring seeding of clover bring
satisfactory resultsand no change
Is suggested. With the latter
class a stand OF clover is much
Surer where the seeding Is made
III august, after gram has been
harvested. Until such lands have
Oeen restored to normal produc.
'on oil clover the latter method
y seeding will undoubtedly give
,ue best returns for money and
''Oor' Moreover it is very I'm.
pOrtant to get stands of clover
worked INTO the rotation to pre-
vent the running down of the
land' There is no need to preach
clover to any farmer.
Inc present conditions are ex-
Tep'onal. There'has been this
eor clover failure where clover
pSua'y is very good. The fields
were clover was seeded were IN.
'uued Tor hay next year; and
lIaout them the hay crop Is 60
10 De short. BY all means
uOSe iields should be seeded
Sus oSn to clover and timothy with
Nurse crop to make the hay
Spply Tor next year and to keep
'pe e, clover In the rotation.
o'over seeded in this way
uOOld be covered at seeding
a" e' as should also the timothy.
"ualiy a light narrowing or a
4. aaSnlng will do this work. Do
roll the land and let 1t lie that
D's % lfyou roll 1t after Tor be-
~ seeding, follow at once with
~ Sl', SPIKE tooth to break up the
y ps soil and save moisture.
NC very great value of luocul-
"s The clover seed should not
b,,o O'sotten. The inoculating
''al costs nothing, the work
,aOcuiatlon takes but a few
(pa ,aases' Ut it cannot possibly dam