32 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



that of the gentleman (Mr. West) who has told us his 

 experience. 1 can grow enormous crops of corn and grass, 

 but if I sow oats they fall down to the ground. 



Now, about clover. Professor Roberts speaks about 

 raising four tons of clover to the acre. Most of us who 

 are fifty or sixty years of age remember when we could 

 raise enormous crops of clover on our land, cutting it about 

 the 20th of June, but now there is very little clover grown 

 in Massachusetts. I think that with the present knowledge 

 of the farmer it cannot be grown successfully. I have pre- 

 pared my land in the same way that I formerly did, sowed 

 the seed in the same way, fertilized it in the same way, and 

 I have failed to get a crop of clover where I can get from 

 two to three tons of herds grass. Now, I would like to have 

 Professor Roberts tell us the reason why we cannot grow 

 clover as we formerly did. I do not agree with the 

 gentleman from Southborough, who has spoken about the 

 loss of fertility on all the farms of Massachusetts, for I 

 know of one farm where the fertility has increased, and it 

 produced larger crops this year than it did ten j^ears ago. 

 I think I have adopted a very good system of farming, and 

 it has increased the fertility of the soil, and yet I have failed 

 to grow a crop of clover as formerly. 



I want to emphasize what Professor Cheesman has said 

 relative to the growth of forage crops and the feeding of 

 cotton-seed meal. I would feed largely cotton-seed meal, 

 particularly because of its manurial value. 



Mr. Sage. Few of our farmers have a silo, and for vari- 

 ous reasons I have none ; but I raise a large amount of 

 fodder corn, and I should like to know if Professor Cheesman 

 or any one can give us the relative feeding value of ensilage 

 and fodder corn. We all know that we can raise a large 

 amount of fodder corn to the acre, and I find that there is 

 nothing that I can grow more cheaply, and there is nothing 

 that the stock will relish better, than nice, well-cured fodder 

 corn. 



QuESTiox. At what stage do you cut it ? 



Mr. Sage. I like to have it mature as well as I can. I 

 sow usually the white Western corn, not the large ensilage 

 corn, l)ut something like the Kansas corn, if I can get it; 



