The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1916-05-10
MANY LAURENS FARMERS
ATTEND CLOVER MEETING
Interesting Day Spent ut Hodges
Studying Clover rs a Land BniIder.

and iield demonstration at Hodges on
the 4th inst. The demonstration and
speaking took place on the farm of
MI. BOD oHdges who has been very
successful for the past few years in
improving worn out soil and making
good crops with very limited amount
Of commercial fertilizer.
Mr.. Moore Is very much pleased with
what he saw and heard and has hand
ed the Advertiser letter on it as fol-
lows:
Perhaps no farmers meeting held
IN this country In recent years means
more for the farmers attending than
the meeting held at Hodges last Thurs
day, the 9th, on the farm Of Mr.. Bob
Hodges. Mr.. Longs office at Clemson
had written all demonstration agents
Of the nearby counties urging them to
be present with as many farmers from
their respective counties as they could
get to come. The presence of some
thing over five hundred farmers there
was splendid evidence Of the standing
Mr.. Long and his lieutenants have
with the farmers. One was pro-
foundly impressed In talking to these
men that they were all there to learn,
ana to learn in such way that each
could go back home and do the thing.
We first went out into the fields
where we were much impressed with
the bigness Of Mr. Hodges effort to
build up his land by the use of Grim
son clover. Field after field was visit
ed with their beautiful crimson car
pets stretching out until one wonders
how 1T was possible to seed so much
land.
Mr.. Hodges can rightly be called
the Crimson Glover King of the
Piedmont belt. After finding dinner at
the hotel we went out into the grove
near the depot to the clover covered
land where, after a good talk by Mr..
W. w. Long, which was unhappily in
tcrruptcd by the arrival Of his train,
Alr' Hodges took the stand TO tell us
how he did it. Mr.. Hodges is q "docr"
more than "talkcr", but by tho help
OF eager questions from eager listen
crs the interesting story was unfold
ed somewhat as follows:
Gentlemen, | had to. had thc
poorest land in this country TO work,
The third year owned il made thir-
ty bales OF cotton and my fertilizer ac-
count was $S0000 Last year on the
same land, about cighty-fivc acres. n
made S7,700.00 worth OF stuff (nclud-
ing 20 bales of cotton) and my fcrti-
lizcr bill was $1,000, all for 16 per
cent acid.
i started growing Crimson Glover
nine years ago with $1.0O worth of
seed and haven't bought any seed
since. try to SOW over all my land
about the 18th of September. Later
sowing doesn't give the clover
chance to get we'll rooted before win
ter freezes. Earlier sowings arc ant
to be sun killed. | SOW the seed all
over the farm in the chaT Just like
thcy arc gathered. | think this is bet
ter than the cleaned seed. have ncv-
er been bothered with inocculation. |
40 not cover seed at all though II
thlnk light covering would give you
better stand. If want hay | begin
TO cut as 1t begins to bloom. It's the
lincst hay in the world. have quit
using 1t for hay, however, as | can
get on without it, and prefer to feed
all OF 1t to the land
begin to turn the most forward
patches as they get in full bloom, but
don't forget to double disk both ways
with harrow before turning. | turn
probably half the farm, when the
time comes to get my cotton into the
gr0nd. Plenty Of clover must be kept
to mature for seed so lay off in the
clover, five foot rows for cotton. pre-
pare possibly 25 to 80 inch bed and
plant cotton. This leave 80 inch
path Of crimson blooms.
When seeds turn brown and will
strip off OF the head have them pick
ed or stripped by hand, paying 2 cents
perNpound. have a homemade strip
per after the Clemson plan that works
well where all clover has been left to
seed
i do not like leaving paths but am
forced to do so in order to save seed.