152 POTATO CULTUKE. 



twice with the mower, and leave all on the surface to shade 

 and enrich, and thus all going to seed of weeds is prevented. 

 The first crop the next season we cut for hay, and it will, I 

 think, never fall below two tons per acre. It is more apt to 

 be three tons, but I do not want to exaggerate in the least. 

 The second crop, which is left on the surface to plow under 

 in the spring for potatoes, we will call H tons per acre, al- 

 though it is more often two. Now, at these lowest figures 

 we produce 5 tons per acre of dry clover, in the rotation, and 

 while the timothy would give but about half as much. All 

 of this could be saved for hay, and have twice as much to 

 feed out as of timothy. We once did this. Science tells us 

 that this clover hay, cut when in full bloom, and well cured, 

 is worth about a third more to feed than timothy. Having 

 fed it for many years I can say this is also true in practice, 

 for cows and horses and young cattle. I certainly have $1000 

 in cash to show for what I have saved on horse-feed by using 

 clover instead of timothy the value of grain actually saved, 

 while the horses did just as well. Now as to the fertilizing 

 properties : 



A ton of timothy hay is worth as a fertilizer, on a basis of 

 market rates of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash, $5.48 ; 

 a ton of clover, $8.20. This is from the highest authorities 

 in the land. It is essentially correct, just as certainly as 

 that 2 and 2 make 4. 



Let us now put these figures together and see what they 

 mean, assuming that the root-growth of timothy and clover 

 is worth about the same per ton dry as the top growth, 

 which is not far from right. Two tons and a half of timothy 

 hay per acre, and we will say 2i tons of dried roots and stub- 

 ble (this last I think too high, however), would be worth as 

 a fertilizer, at market rates, $27.40. This I would get by 

 growing timothy. Some would be wasted by feeding out, 

 even on tight floors and with every care, but so would some 

 of the clover, and we must not stop to carry the matter to 

 the end. Five tons of clover hay per acre and three tons of 



