The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-07-11
MONEY IN CLOVER
July Issue Southwest Trail
Deals with This Crop.
It Tells Of Experience on Farms
Near Topeka
SWEET CLOVER PAYS WELL
So Says H. M. Cottrell, Expert
Of Rock Island.
Article Deals With Glover rs
Grown by Col. True.
SWEET CLOVER PAYS We'll

The July issue Of the Southwest Trail.
a monthly magazine issued by the
Rock Island Lines, contains two arti-
cles on the growing Of sweet clover ON
farms near Topeka. One Of the arti-
cles. written by Victor n. Schonelmay-
er, deals with clover growing on the
Boulder Gate farm near Topeka which
is owned by @. Fred Miller. The other
contains the experiences with sweet
clover Of Colonel J. #. True Of To-
peka.
The July issue of the magazine IL
entirely devoted to the sweet clover
industry. H. M. Cottrell, agriculture
commissioner Of the Rock Island Lines,
says:
Sweet clover will soon become one
OF the important crops of the United
States. 1t thrives in the dry farming
districts of the west and under the
heavy rainfall Of eastern and southern
states. 1t yields we'll in hot and cold
countries. 1t hourishes in land too acid
for alfalfa and in land so strong with
alkalf as to kill most crops. 1t pros
pers on hard, heavy soils. on good
! loamy soils and on sandy soils. 1t
thrives on the hard, clay soils OF the
southwest, and Is little injured in the
south when covered by water during an
overflow. 1t makes good pastures for
horses, cattle. hogs and sheep and
sweet clover hay ranks next to alfalfa
| in feeding value. s--ss 4s.,s7
Best ON Hard Ground.
THE best stand of sweet clover IL
secured on hard ground. 1t IL difficult
| to get a good stand on mellow land.
! Sweet clover roots are large and coarse
and bore down deeply into hard soils.
They are powerful and cheap subsoil-
ers. The tubercles take plant food
!! from the air and add 1t to the soil.
years on hard. heavy soils they be-
come mellow and rich and are easily
worked.
sweet clover can be sown on raw,
unp1owed prairie and will thrive
among the native grasses increasing
the length Of the pasturing season.
improving the quality of the feed and
increasing the carrying capacity Of
the pasture.
1.-THE farmer who has a soil and eli
mate adapted to alfalfa has no use for
sweet clover. The farmer whose soil
is too acid or contains too much
alkan or is too hard and stir or too
poor or too badly washed or flooded
or in too dry a climate for alfalfa,
| needs sweet clover. After he learns
to raise and feed it, he will be able
to secure nearly as much profit from
I it per acre as does his neighbor from
1 alfalfa on land and conditions we'll
| adapted to alfalfa"
| On G. Fred Miller Farm.
| AS to sweet clover growing on the
| G. Fred Miller farm, the Southwest
4 Trail article says: Eleven years ago
G. Fred Miller, Of Boulder Gate farm,
near Topeka, Kan, moved a strip Of
sweet clover growing along the road
and with the seed sOwed an expert
mental patch which proved so remu-.
nerative that he decided to laise the
| crop on large scale. He has about
| 200 acres Of sweet clover at present.
He considers the crop the equal of
alfalfa on average land and Is superior
on heavy and worn out soils. Prob
ably the best showing of sweet clover
as a green forage crop was made last
| October when Mr.. Miller pastured $50
Utah sheep, all ewes, on 80 acres of
| clover and twelve acres of alfalfa.
The sheep were kept on pasture until
December 80, when they were weighed
and had made gain of eight and one
half to ten pounds a head"
| The article also contains a cut show
ing one of Mr.. Miller's clover fields.
Experiences of Col. True.
In the article dealing with the
growing Of sweet clover for AZ years
by Col. True Of Topeka, the editor
of the Southwestern Trail says: ''Col.
]. F. True tried to eradicate the crop
after introducing it into Kansas but
he lives to become an ardent advocate
| of its merits
| II have watched all kinds of stock
eat sweet clover" said Col. True, land
they like it. Hogs eat it as If it were
alfalfa, as long as it is not allowed to
grow too rank.
I'm cattle pastures 1 have seen II
thicken when alfalfa was dying out
| 1t will stand almost any kind of abuse
| within reason
His present stand of 40 acres will
| be cut for seed this year." says the
article In closing. THE acreage will
i be increased annually"
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