Clover as a Fertilizer. 129 



clover. But it does this work without using the land only when 

 it would otherwise be idle. I have had rye two feet high to plow 

 under early in May. I would sow it if no more than a good sod 

 was made to plow under. Once I read in the papers what nice 

 hay one could make of rye cut in bloom. I tried this. Cut it, I 

 think, the 2oth of May. It was six feet, or more, high. Bound 

 it, and set up to cure. I never had such a pill on my hands 

 before or since in the shape of hay. I couldn't starve my ani- 

 mals into eating it, and finally sold some to people to tie up corn 

 fodder with and the last few loads to horsemen for bedding. 

 I have cut and fed it green to cows. When quite young and ten- 

 der it went well, with grain, but soon gets tough. The best use 

 of it with me, decidedly, has been to occupy the land when idle, 

 and then plow under. If on dry, sandy land, so the tramping 

 will not injure the soil, I am told that a field of rye makes excel- 

 lent early pasture for light stock. I can believe this ; but a potato 

 man would likely get better returns to feed it all to his potatoes, 

 particularly if the season following was dry. 



I use the common clover entirely. We want the first crop 

 for hay, and this makes better hay than the Mammoth. And 

 then we can grow a large crop after the hay crop to plow under. 



