The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1914-05-01
| CRIMSON CLOVER A
USEFUL CROP.
New Bulletin of the Department Of
Agriculture Describes Its Value
as Early Pasturage and Soil
Improver

49, :,
Washington, D.C.-A number of ways
in which the early appearance of Grim
son clover in the spring can be turned
to the farmers advantages are pointed
out in new publication Of the United
States Department of Agriculture,
Farmers Bulletin 579 "Crimson Glover
Utilization. In the Southern and
| Central Atlantic States this crop is Of
| particular value. Generally speaking
| it suffers from the severe winters in
the north and from too great dryness
west of the Mississippi. In Florida
it has proved less successful than
| elsewhere.
Crimson clover, says the bulletin,
| has two great advantages. 1t is an
excellent fertilizer and it can be used
for pasture and hay before any other
green growth is available, the land
being then sown with an ordinary
summer grown crop. The clover it
self can he sown toward the end of
, the summer on land where such late
| crops as corn or tomatoes are still
under cultivation. Its use, therefore,
| does not interfere with other products
and its benefits cost little but the
labor and seed involved.
To obtain the full value of crimson
clover as fertilizer the entire green
crop should be plowed under, thus
adding to the soil a large quantity of
nitrogen and humus, or decayed veg
etable matter. The poorer the land
| the greater is the benefit that the
| succeeding crop derives from this pro-
| cess. A yield of 80 bushels of corn
per acre may ordinarily be increased
by crimson clover to As, but on richer
land an increase of more than 10
bushels is uncommon. A convenient
methods OF calculation Is to consider
full crop OF crimson clover, weighing
with roots and tops, about 10 tons an
acre, as the equivalent of distribu
ton OF tons of fresh barnyard ma
nure to an acre. In this way the soil
Is greatly enriched each year without
interfering in any way with the regu-
lar money crops, such as corn, cotton
or tomatoes.
II is, however, by no means neces-
sary to sacrifice the entire crops of
crimson clover to fertilizing purposes.
Excellent results can be obtained by
ploughing under merely the roots and
stubble. This 1t is estimated returns
TO the soil 40 per cent as much nitro
gen as the green crop. When this is
done the clover itself can be used
either Tor pasture, before ordinary
grass Is sufficiently far advanced to
De available, or Tor hay which can be
gathered in time to leave the land
Tree Tor another crop.
Crimson clover intended for hay
must however, be cut at the right
moment, when the most advanced
heads are beginning to show faded
MOWERS at their base. At this stage
the plants contain the maximum
amount OF protein and dry matter,
while the leaves are still present and
the stems comparatively green. If the
harvest is put off, the short hairs on
the stems and flower heads become
dry and stin. In this stage there is
danger that they may form hard dry
hair balls in the Intestinal tracts of
horses and mules to which the hay is
led. These hair balls, solid, compact
ielt-hke structures, nearly always
cause death. Early cutting, however,
ana Judiclous mixing with other hay
VIII obviate this difficulty to a great
extent and, under any circumstances,
cattle are rarely affected. BY dairy
men, crimson clover hay is considered
a roughage feed fully equal If not SUI
perior TO either red or alsike clover.
For early pasturing crimson clover
IS even more satisfactory, it's chief
drawback being the limited period in
which 1t can be utilized for this pur-
pose. This period, however is ample
to enable the ordinary grass pastures
TO attain a growth which will greatly
increase their carrying capacity later