The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1920-03-18

a Figure

Harvesting Rcd Glover for Seed
Will Sell at Worry Good Figure fe'
prepared by tho United States Depart
mont Of Agriculture.)
Clover seed Is high priced and
scarce, and good samples will COM
mand prices that many farmers will
be loath to pay. The United States
department Of agriculture, however,
urges the seeding Of as large an acre.
age rs possible. The best information
.Obtainable shows that the foreign mar
ket is quite as bare Of clover Seed as
j.. is our own. The French and italian
supplies are. sold out, and there ap-
pears to be no surplus In Germany or
In Russia. This means that clover seed
will be high for at least two years to
come If not more, and those farmers
who seeded last spring or who seed
in 1920 will have chance to sell their
dover seed crop at good figure. This
is time to look ahead, and for Ameri-
can farmers to get the benefit Of the
high prices, before Europe has been
able to get back to normal production
and the prices fall
! Watch Quality Of Seed.
In view Of the high price of clover
seed, it is especially important that
farmers pay careful attention to the
quality Of seed they buy. The relation
between the purity and termination
Of q sample Of clover seed and its val.
ne to the farmer has been so IRE
qpentl5 discussed that 1t is not neces-
sary to enter into details. A farmer,
paying q low price for a poor lot Of
'Geed. may really be paying more for
the good seed that will grow than he
weuld have in d sample Of higher
price. The only way to decide .this IS
T. secure, samples and quotations from
reliable firms and have the seed an
alyzed by the state seed laboratory or
by the seed laboratory, Of the United
States department Of agriculture.
The attentlon~of farmers is also CALI
I'd very especially to. the fact that
french and Italian seed has been and
H. being imported into this country and
that the experiments so far conducted
BY the department Of agriculture In
d1cate,, that this seed will produce q
plant 'more.subjeat' to disease and less
iIardy under" American conditions than
plants from our own seed.
| In sections where there is no dlsease
and If the winter Is moderate Sue
!cessful stand of clover may be securef
With imported,i seed, but the chances
aeninst, success are always greater
than when using American seed. Farm
exs are iurgedy therefore, to insist upon
a statement showing where the sect
ofered them was harvested. .
1t is also a, time to consider with
more than usual care the means neces-
sarv for getting the most eout OF the
seed sown. 1t will not pay to throw
EXPENSIVE seed in poorly prepared
ero,,nd rs was so often done when
clover was cheap. The seed bed should
he well prepared. The best way Is not
TO Cow the seed in early spring on the
wheat. hut to harrow 1t in on the
wheat or to seed with spring grain
In a well prepared seed bed. Seeding
alone. without companion or nurse
Grain crop will often he better, but
not always. If seeding must he done on
rather worn SOIL 1t is better to seed
alone especially if the field is not very
xs~edv- II q specal seed bed is pre-
nared it should be we'll compacted. A
frrxh4v plowed> and narrowed field Is
+on omen for the hest results. The soil
nnust be compacted or the seed bed Will
dry out before the young plants get
their roots down FAR enough.
De Sure Whether Lime 10 Needed.
Another matter of the utmost I'M
,ortance is to consider whether or not
me field it is proposed to seed needs
rne. Unless the farmer Is sure. ne
should send q sample of the soil to his
state station apd inquire. Not far from
Is per cent Of the arabic land east OF
the mississippi and north Of the south
.ern boundary of Tennessee needs lime
"a bring q good crop of clover. I'M:
fact can not be too strongly EN-
nhasized. If the soil Is "sour' do no
ivsste extensive red clover seed OF
M-et some one else nave H. ou' 1"">
need not remain sour. A ton or tw'
Of Underground limestone per acr
viii, in the average case, put the sol
into condition to grow clover. 1t is no
necessary to put on enough to con
plete,y, satisfy; the lime Requirement
The Pennsylvania station has snow
that lime requirement. Of 500 pound
%,per acre or le1s did no great harm
FnSst when more Is needed 1T must .
r.. ns.s.,ppiied il clover is to do well, 50
.+swtth,, lime requifement Of ! -
.yipsaads OF more pes acre will USUAL
"a ut, snake paying crop Of red Glove
al Hnthe wheat ground needs lime tn
}yaesevsr should be seeded With . spin
d: .v.an with lime Narrowed In a Il
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