THE FA R 



J 3 



EGISTER. 



Vol. Vlir. 



SEPTEMBER 30, 1840. 



No. 9. 



EDMUND RUl'FIN, EDITOR AND PROPEIETOll 



NEW PKACTICKS. CLOVER AFTER CORN. 

 CLEARING LAKD BY BELTIKG, 



JJy the Editor. 



The rolntion of crops now pracliseJ on Boiinc- 

 conl, (in Prinze George county,) the Iririn ol" Mr. 

 James B. CockC; and uhith Ijas been in use Ibr 

 several years, is novel and peculiar. It is, lot year, 

 wheat, (on clover la!lo\v,~) 2d, corn, 3il and 4ih, 

 clover. The clover seed is sown in December, 

 January or February, on (he corn firound of the 

 previous season, and vviihont any preparatory or 

 succeedinj^ process to aid the covering of'the seeds. 

 Care only is used to sow when (lie eartli I'reezes at 

 night and thaws in ihe day, wiiich chan;ies alone 

 serve, as Mr. Coclie thinks, to set the seeds enouuh 

 in (he earth. He (hndis (hat he is as sure of a 

 good "stand" and growth of clover in this way, 

 as in the usual manner, alter wheat. As the 

 practice is new, and I had formerly made a large 

 ex()erin)ent of clover sowing on the last year's 

 corn huid wiihout puccees, 1 was the more inlerest- 

 ed and inquisitive about the results here. My 

 trial was induced by the desire to make the same 

 chani/e of the order of (he rotation that Mr. Cocke 

 has effected ; that is, to have the wheat crop pre- 

 cede, instead of succeedinij tiie corn. But in my 

 trial, the growth of natural grasses was ahead of 

 the clover, and rendered the attempt to raise the 

 latter abortive. There is no question, from what 

 I saw, that Mr. Cocke has succeeded in his prac- 

 tice, to a degree which I had supposed (from my 

 single large (rial) to be hopeless, in general. But 

 still there must be some loss of seed, from want of 

 suitable preparation, or of |)lants afterwards smo- 

 thered by Ihe annual weeds which cover (he land 

 the sumiTier alter (ho corn crop. In one field, 

 which had been in corn in 1838, and sown in clover 

 the winter after, a part was followed by wheat, 

 and sown in clover also at (he same time and in 

 the same manner as all (he oliier land which had 

 been in corn only. The whole field has now a 

 very good and well-set crop of clover; but (he 

 part which was sown on wheat is obviously thicker, 

 and more free from weeds than the arijoining parts 

 which had been in corn only. 'I'his fiehl, however, 

 it should be observed, is of land cleared within the 

 last eight years, and (herelbre not yet infes(ed wi(h 

 perennial, or biennial root weeds, cr.grasses, which 

 would more oppose this mode of growing clover 

 than mere annuals, although standing thickly, 

 and six feet high, as are most of the stalks of hog- 

 weed which generally cover this. field. On other 

 old and long-cleared fields of (he farm, where the 

 seed had been sown in the same way, upon corn 

 land, the stand of clover is not so good as on the 

 newer land. 



If, by any means, clover could be successfnlly 

 made to succeed corn, for the purpose of preceding 

 wheat, it would be a most valuable improvement, 

 on even the best of our existing rotations. And I 

 had formerly aimed to secure that end, not only 

 by the trial, above referred to, of winter or epnng- 

 Bowing, but also among the growing corn, in June, 



Vol. Vin.-65 



and of which some of the partial success, and 

 ntore general failures, were reported in a previous 

 volume of this journal. Root grasses, (especially 

 wire-irrass,) and summer insects, are the (jreat ob- 

 stacles to this summer sowing. But when the 

 clover is not obstructed by the first, and is able to 

 withstand the last, the crop has complete posses- 

 sion of the ground, and is in perfection in the next 

 succeeding year, instead of a year later, as it 

 would be delayed il'sown the spring after, whether 

 on wheat, or on the corn land without wheat, as 

 on Mr. Cocke's plan. 



It is very certain that the cover of the growth of 

 wheat is not needed (o protect the young clover 

 sown on the same land, us was the former general 

 opinion. On the contrary, ihis cover serves (o keep 

 back and (o enfeeble (he early growth of the clover 

 very materially. According (o the general prac- 

 tice in this part of the country, corn is cut up in 

 October, and [)nt in '• shocks," or slacks, on the 

 field where it grew, for the purpose of sowing 

 wheat on ihe same. Either there is no wheat 

 sown on the spots thus covered by the stacks, or 

 the plants perish if the cornstalks are not removed 

 very early in winter. After being removed as 

 u?ual, and these spots left bare, the sowing of clo- 

 ver seed soon after covers all the field alike ; and 

 at wheat harvest, it will be seen that the clover 

 sown on these naked spots is very fiir superior in 

 irrowth and vijfor to (hat of all llie remainder of 

 the field, under the cover of (he crop of wheat. 

 But (hen (he spots were clear of all other vegeta- 

 tion, when (he clover seed was sown. 



Among Ihe many curious and remarkable fads 

 in regard (o natural successions of plants, it is well 

 worthy of observation that, when wheat follows 

 corn, as is usual in this part of the country, the al- 

 most exclusive natural growth which follows iha 

 wheat, and soon covers the land, is of carrot weed. 

 But if wheat is not sown alter the corn, as general 

 a irrowth of hog-weed follows instead. Thus, \tx 

 the one case, the young clover of the first year is 

 overshadowed by one of those large ami luxuiiant 

 annuals, and in the other case by the other; and 

 yet neither of them is to be found, in any quantity, 

 the year after. 



A new practice, or rather the late resumption of 

 an old and universally abandoned practice, in ray 

 old neighborhood, is the bringing of wood-land into 

 cultivation, by killin<r (he trees by " belting," in- 

 stead of cutlinfT down and removino; or burninff up 

 the whole. I first renewed this long abandoned 

 and very slovenly operation, on Coffgins Point 

 {\wva ; and of this labor (or neglect") the decaying 

 monumeote, in dead and naked trunks, still re- 

 main on, and serve to dpform, a large proportion of 

 the newest land. As I had all the discredit, and 

 bore the ridicule and reproach, of recommencing 

 (his old slovenly mode of clearing of the first set- 

 tlers, 1 may be permitted to claim some credit, on 

 the ground of the present extension and general 

 approval of the practice. It is only to be com- 

 mended, or even excused, where the value of the 

 trees standing on the wood-land (whether tor sale, 

 or for farm usee,) would not pay for tiieir entire 



