The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1920-06-10
Harvesting Red Glover for Seed-Presenti Indications Are That Glover
viii Sell at a Very Good Figure for the Next Two Years Perhaps Longer.

S&&@
Will Sell at a Very Good Figure for
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
Glover 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 IN acre
age as possible. The best information
obtainable shows that the foreign mar
k- is quite as bare of clover seed as
is our own. The French and Italian
supplies are sold out, and there APP
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 Il chance TO sell their
clover seed crop at Il good figure. This
is Il Time to look ahead. and for Ameri-
can farmers to get The benefit of the
hish prices. before Europe has been
lhlc 70 get back TO normal production
md the prices fall.
Watch Quality of Seed.
In view Of tie h'9h price Of clover
eod. II is specially important that
'armers pay careful attention to the
lual'ty Of seed they buy. Tho relation
etvecn the purity and termination
II II sample Of clover seed and its vi.
'e 10 tie farmer has been s. fro
luently discussed that it is lot neces
saty to cnGel into details. A farmer.
paving q low price for a poor lot Of
eel. may really he paying more for
ne good seed that will grow than he
would have in q sample Of higher
9rice. The only way TO decide this is
. secure samples and quotations from
.aliable firms. and have the seed an
lived hv the state seed laboratory or
~ the seed laboratory Of the United
Srates department If agriculture.
The attention Of farmers is also call
Cd very especially to the fact thai
French and Italian seed has been an(
q being imported into this country anf
that fAo experiments 50 far conducted
ny The department Of agriculture in
ticate that this seed win produce =
nlant more subject to disease and les
hardy under American conditions thar
0l.,nts from our own seed.
III sections where there is no disease
and if The winter is moderate a suc
cesSful stand Of clover may be securet
with imported seed. but the chance
against success are always create
Than when using American seed. Farm
ers are urged. therefore, TO insist upor
a statement showing where the seer
offered them was harvested.
IT Is also a time to consider witt
more than usual care the means nece>
for getting the most out of the
seed II will not pay to throw
expensive seed in poorly prepared
as was so often done when
was cheap. The seed bed should
be well prepared. The best way is not
TO SOW the seed in early spring on the
wheat, but to harrow ii in on the
OF to seed with a spring grain
a well prepared seed bed. Seeding
alone without a companion or nurse
crop will often be better. but
not always. If seeding must be done on
worn soil, it is better 10 seed
alone especially if the field is not very
weedy. If a special seed bed is pre-
pared it should be well compacted. A
plowed and narrowed field Is
open for the best results. The soil
must be compacted or the seed bed will
dry out before the young plants get
their roots down far enough.
Be Sure Whether Lime Is Needed.
Another matter Of the utmost i'm
o%ortance is to consider whether or not
he field it is proposed to seed needs
ime. Unless the farmer is sure, he
should send a sample of the soil to his
state station and inquire. Not far from
Is per cent of the arabic land east OF
he Mississippi and north of the south
srn boundary Of Tennessee needs lime
bring a good crop of clover. This
act can not be too strongly en-
)hasized. If the soil is "sour'' do not
waste expensive red clover seed on
t-let some n else have it. But land
iced not remain sour. A ton or two
# Underground limestone per acre
will, In the average case, put the soil
INTO condition to grow clover. 1t is not
necessary to put on enough to COM
,letely satisfy the lime requirement
The Pennsylvania station has shown
hat a lime requirement of 500 pounds
yer acre or less did no great harm,
,ut when more is needed it must be
iupplied if clover is to do well. Soil
With a lime requirement of 1000
pounds or more per acre will usually
lot make a paying crop of red clover.
f the wheat ground needs lime the
lover should be seeded with a spring
,ra.u with lime narrowed in on the