Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1922-03-24
|NF0R-
NATION ON ALS|KE
POSSIBILITIES FOR COMMERCIAL
SEED GROWING EXPLAINED
BY A LOCAL FARMER

The following is the text Of 3
letter from Mr.. H. H. Highfield, OF
Sites, to C. s. Myers, Of Fraser. and
contains reliable data which should
be of interest to the farmers OF
Clearwater county.
Replying to your favor of the
9Th inst, will say there are 698,50O
alsike clover seed to one pound and
four pounds will place seven seeds
to each square inch on an acre II
evenly distributed. 1t depends much
on the condition Of your seed bed
and whether early or late sowing Is
made as to the stand you will Sc
cure.
1.-The first essential is fine and
firm seed bed. The next Is early
seeding. Slant the teeth of your
harrow, weight it down with posts
or poles, and harrow or 4 times
before seeding on either fall or
spring blowing. II you have fall
plowed ground that was narrowed
last fall, or you want to seed on fall
sown grain. seed on the snow as
soon as possible and don't harrow at
all
"If you SOW with nurse crop
this spring, seed your grain as early
as possible and then seed the clover.
If you can seed early enough so
there will be some snow and few
spring freezes. don't harrow after
seeding the clover. But if you must,
SOW later, so the frost and spring
rains are not apt to cover the clover
seed, then give it one very light
narrowing. Even then the harrow
will cover considerable seed too deep
to terminate.
Sown alone without a nurse crop
you will be practically sure of a
good stand. l find barley the best
where a nurse crop is sown. Alsike
has proven the best in this terri
tory. 1t stands more drouth and
more wet and yields twice as much
seed. The hay is finer, cures better
and is free from fuzz on the stalks
or leaves. 1t is the fuzz on red
clover that makes so much dust and
causes horses to heave. Alsike will
not bloat stock pastured on it, 1t
is also better Bee clover I have
two lots of seed. Lot tests 99.7
per cent pure and is free from any
kind of noxious weed seeds. Lot 2
1881 per cent pure, also free from
noXious seeds,-the only pratical
difference is that one lot has more
: timothy seed than the other. am
selling lot / at 22c and lot at zoe
in hundred pound or more lots. sacks
included. All southern Idaho seed
is foul with dodder. buckhorn and
mustard seed.
II am receiving letters from the
4 clover growing sections of South
Idaho wanting to know what the
state test of my seed Is and just
. what other than clover seed 1t con-
1 tdns. You see they are anxious to
get seed free from noxious weeds.
Spokane and coast seed houset
that have always dealt in large
quantities OF South Idaho seed, pur-
a chased their 1921 supply in Dakota
. Montana and Minnesota. Apparent.
a ly We have a good opportunity tt
= make our reputation for pure and
/, fancy clover seed by being careful
: to keep our fields clean.
!, II find the Little Giant Tin Horx
= Seeder the most reliable for sowing
clover seed. Set 1t to SOW 3 to 3 IL
pints to the acre and that should
give a heavy stand, In fact, thret
pints should be great plenty. A
g that rate you should be able Il
y seed your ground for less than ~
/ per acre"