South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-02-09
CLOVER ACREAGE
NEEDS INCREASE
Seed Stocks Becoming De-
pIeted and More Planting is
Necessary to Aid Dairy.

Glover hay is an important part
of the ration of every dairy COW in
the northeastern states Whether
the farmer has a silO or not, and
even if he feeds concentrates, he
needs clover hay as the foundation
of his feeding scheme At a time
like the present, when concentrates
are high and are likely TO continue
being high. and when there is
great deal of reason to question
whether the ensilase that will be
put away next year will be of as
high feeding value as usual, it is
especially important 10 look out for
the clover fields. Seed corn is
known 10 be scarce and poor. and in
the northern ter Of states espe
| cially it is almost certain that many
farmers Will have TO plant southern
seed corn for ensilage. While this
may fill the silo. il will not be as
high in feeding value as more ma
ture corn. This fact will make it
important to have more clover hay
with the ensilage.
Clover Acreage Reduced.
Last summer the effort to plant
| a large atJCage of TODD crops result
ed in che Flowing Up of consider
liable acreage of meadow. This was
reflected in a reduced acreage OF
clover seed cut during the past sum-
mer. Besides this. there was GER
| tainly a smaller acreage seeded TO
I clover in 1917 than is usually the
! case. The seed trade found less de-
mand than had been expected. and
so an unusually large quantity of
! seed was carried over, in spite of
the fact that the quantity of clover
seed imported in the year beginning
| July /, 1915, was not equal TO that
imported during the year ending
June 80, 1916. Unfortunately, figures
showing the acres seeded to clover
! seed are not collected each year. so
we do not know TO what extent the
clover acreage is smaller now than
usual, but much indirect evidence,
| as mentioned above, points unmis-
takably TO the fact that the clover
! acreage is falling This can not
/
| duction in the clover states.
Farmers recognize that clover
| culture lies at the foundation Of
soil fertility in the north. Good
! land may be farmed for a while
without it. but its fertility will de-
crease; poor land must have a leg
ume, and clover is the most convent
/ ent and satisfactory one yet found
for that section. We can not afford
therefore. 10 neglect clover. even if
the price of seed is high.
Shortage of seed.
That clover seed is high. and viii
continue 10 be so, must be recogniZ-
ed However, the price has not ad-
| Vanced in as great q ratio as has the
price Of wheat and corn. and the
, advance in price is not much, if any
greater than what has been record
ed for most farm products. A large
part of this higher price, too. is
going TO the producer. one reason
for the slow movement of clover
/ seed to central markets so far this
! year is the unwillingness OF farmers
10 sell Prices are high. and they
expect them to go higher hence
they hold For the farmer vino
| must buy. this is however. not SC
desirable a state Of affairs flow
\ ever. il is not the price that con
/ Germs us most, but the question
| whether enough clover seed exist;
70 plant a large area.
In the summer Of 1917 clover hay
I otrt on toIxr son OOT
acres. Since a large part of the
clover seeded either fails and mus
/ be reseeded, or is used in some form
so that pure clover hay is not cut
we may be sure that this is only
about three-fOurts Of the acreage
seeded in 1916. If this is true, OF
nearly SO. some 100000 acres
\ were seeded, and for this some 10.
coo. 900 10 5000. 00O pounds Of
seed were needed. In the clover
states. including any acreage ives
OF the one hunjredth meridian
there were on Dec. /, 1917 som'
/ S.500. 600 acres in winter wheat II
the interests of the hay supply and
OF continued soil fertility, most o.
this. acreage, or an equivalent acre
age with oats, should be seeded 4
clover next spring. If We cOnsidei
that much seed VIII be sown II
mixtures and in western states. no
included in these figures. we can no
be far wrong if we consider that n
per cent OF the present winter whea
acreage should 20 into clover mex
spring This is 1875, 900 acres and
seeding at II pounds per acre, tn
total seed needed will be 1872 .625.OOt
pounds The best available esti
mates fix the quantity of Glove
seed if il is all used that may br
! available for seed in 1918, at be
tween 9O,OOO,000 and 100000, O0I
pounds 1t is clear that irrespsctiv
OF price and if no seed is exported
there will not be enough seed L
: plant the acreage that should b
planted next spring If seed Is use,
at the average rate per acre.
In this situation the following
] suggestions are offered. looking 10
ward making the existing supple
90 as Tar as possible.
Seeding Suggestions.
CD Reduce the average Quantit,
OF seed used When clover seed j
} cheap and plentiful. thick seeding
may pay as insurance and in tn
II saving OF labor and expense inEOlV