The Hartford republican., 1915-02-26
Red Glover.


Red Glover.
Red clover has been justly ranked
as the principal foundation of a per-
manent system of agriculture in the
northern and eastern parts of the
United States, according to the de-
partment's Office of Forage Crop In
vestigations. This is due to its high
feeding value. its effect upon the
soil. and the ease with which it may
be employed in rotations. Under or
dinary conditions red clover is a BIZ
ennial, although special strains are
truly perennial. in pastures where
1t has been kept from seeding. GER
tain plants have been known to live
for three or four years.
Uses Of Red Clover.
Red clover is an excellent crop for
pasture, hay, soiling, and renovat-
ing the soil. 1t can precede or fol-
low almost any other field crop.
Glover makes an excellent pasture
for all kinds of live stock. Care,
however, must be exercised not to
turn sheep or cattle in a clover
meadow when they are hungry or
when it is wet with rain or dew.
since blOating may occur. II but
one crop of hay is cut, considerable
pasture is furnished during the sum-
mer and autum, but if two crops of
hay or one crop of hay and one crop
seed are harvested little pasture will
result. Glover will furnish some
pasture the fall of the year it is
sown. although it should be pastured
lightly.
Red clover produces satisfactory
yields of hay throughout the clover
area. Either two crops of hay or
one crop of hay and one crop of seed
may be produced the same season.
Since mammoth clover produces but
one crop a season it may be pastured
until the first part of June. AS soon
as the stock is removed the meadow
should be clipped so that the plants
will make amore even growth. Glover
hay is very nutritious feed, being
rich in protein and for this reason
makes an excellent forage for grow
ing animals and milk cows.
Red clover makes excellent green
feed for milk cows. The average
yields of green matter of red clover
vary from to IL tons per acre. The
season for soiling may commence
about 10 days before the plants
come into bloom and continue as
long as the plants remain green.
Bloating does not occur when clover
is fed in this manner. but it must
not be wet with dew or rain when
cut, nor should 1t be wilted.
As soil-improving crop red clover
can not be excelled. BY proper util-
ization in rotations 1t is possible to
maintain the supply of nitrogen and
humus in the SOIL Yields of grain
crops have been increased as much
as 10 bushels to the acre by turning
under clover sod. Red clover is
sometimes used as a green manure
crop. This is to be recommended
only where soils are very low in hu-
mus and artificial fertilizers are used
exclusively.
Soil Requirement Of Red Clover.
Red clover is best adapted to deep.
well-drained clay loans and Gale
calcareous loans. which are fairly
rich in humus. Sandy soils we'll sup
piled with humus also produce good
crops of clover. Soils poor in lime
will rarely produce good crops of
clover unless they contain an abun-
dant supply of humus. With the ad-
dition of lime, however, most soils
considered to be "clover, sick" or
''acid" can be made to grow clover
satisfactorily. AS most soils in the
clover belt are becoming "acid" it
is recommended that all soils be test
ed for acidity before being planted
to clover. The litmus paper test is
simple and fairly reliable. Results.
however. should be based not on a
single test but on number of tests
with soil collected in different parts
OF the field. Two to four tons of
finely ground limestone or one to
two tons of caustic lime should be ap-
piled to 'acid" soils.