Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1923-07-24
CRIMSON CLOVER IS
IDEAL COVER CROP
George o. Marshall Tells Farm
ers How to Produce Winter
Pastures

George o. Marshall, county farm
demonstration agent, is urging up
on farmers the advantages of win
ter cover crops for grazing stock,
and one of the best of these, he
says, is crimson clover.
Crimson clover is in many ways
an ideal winter cover crop for Geor-
gia conditions. The difficulty in
growing the crop under Georgia
conditions has been the difficulty
IN obtaining stand.
Seeding: Only seeds in the hulls
should be used as the hulls help
protect the seed Old seed should
be avoided as crimson clover seed
rapidly deteriorate after the sec
ond year. The seed-bed should be
firm. One of the best seed-beds
for crimson clover is a pea hay
stubble. Corn or cotton middles
will do almost as we'll The land
should not be disced, plowed OF
otherwise disturbed but Left as firm
as possible. The seed should be
broad cast as evenly as possible
over the land and not covered.
Seeding in middle Georgia should
take place from September 18th
to October Is. 1t is not a good
plan to wait for rain, but to SOW
at the time indicated.
At the first sowing it is best
to use about so pounds per acre
of seed in the chaff. Later, after
the land has become we'll inoculat-
ed, as little as half this amount
may be used.
To grow crimson clover success
fully it is necessary to have the
soil inOculated with the proper
nodule forming bacteria usually
our fields do not contain these bac-
terra for clover and it is necessary
to supply them by artificial means.
Harvesting Seed: Seed may be
harvested by means of a stripper.
plans for which may be obtained
by writing to the Cnited States
Department of Agriculture, Wash
ington, D. C. When a stripper is
used seed should be allowed to ma
ture fully and the heads should be
quite dry.
Seed may also be saved by cut
ting with a mower when about two
thirds of the seeds are hard. The
plans should be cat when the dew
is on them early in the morning
and Immediately ralled into wind
rows behind the mower. Next
morning it should be hauled to the
barn or stack. Handled this way
SCATTERING is not SO bad.
Soil and Fertilizers: Crimson
glover will do well on a wide range
of sUifs::' On heavy clay soils IN
poor condition the heaving of the
soinl during the winter may injure
stand for the first year or two.
This may be prevented by mulck-
ing with straw or other litter
Growth on poor sandy soils is apt
to be small and it is best to build
up the soil with summer Iegume
before planting crimson clover.
Rotations: Crimson clover can
be used to follow almost any of
our common crops. When grown
for green manure crop it can bee
turned under the latt4r ; part of
March to May i, in Middle Georgia.
When harvested for hay it can be
gotten off the land about May /.
The seed harvest comes the latter
part of May. This gives the farm
er an opportunity to plan a rota-
ton suited to his special conditions.
BY using both crimson clover and
small grains there is no reason why
We should not have a cover crop
on the land every winter.
s. ~ First year: small grains
followed by peas, clover Sewn in
the pea stubble; second year: corn