The Question Box. 299 



A Farmer. — All the improvement in Allegany county whioh 

 has come to it within the last 30 years has come, in my opinion, 

 from timothy. Why do men buy timothy instead of clover? 

 Years ago, there was a tavern every mile on our public roads in 

 this county, and about all the products were leeks and whiskey, 

 and the buildings were poor. Now they are all good, and the 

 difference is due to timothy. 



If a crop of timothy is cut early and not pastured, is it more exhausting 

 than is clover? 



Mr. Converse. — Yes, sir. We all know that the legumes take 

 nitrogen from the air and restore, or give it to the soil. The 

 clovers are of this class of plants. Timothy does not absorb nitro- 

 gen from the air, but, on the other hand, takes it from the soil. 

 For this reason we do not grow timothy at all. We do not mow 

 clover but once, but plow under the second crop. 



How can we get a good crop of clover on hard pan soil? 



Mr. Converse. — Our soil is a clay loam. We have changed from 

 seeding with clover on a spring crop or with winter wheat. We 

 now sow oats and peas on the land we want to seed. When the 

 crop is off we harrow the ground and fit it thoroughly; then sow 

 the clover seed about the first of August. As a rule, the next 

 year's crop of clover will be as heavy as will that sown in the 

 spring, even when we get a good catch, 



Mr. Moulton. — The trouble with hard-pan land is, it is not 

 plowed deeply enough, so that the water comes up and stands in 

 the soil too closely to the surface. Plow the land deeply and fit 

 it finely so that it will not " heave " in the spring. By following 

 this plan on a stiff, hard-pan soil, I do not believe there will be 

 any trouble in obtaining a catch of clover, even when sown with 

 spring crops. 



What is your opinion about sowing red clover and cutting it one year, 

 then plowing under for humus? 



Mr. Van Alstyne. — If I wanted to grow a spring crop, I would 

 plow under the second crop in the spring. If I wanted to grow 

 a winter crop, I would plow it under in the fall, but would cut and 

 save for hay, the first crop. 



