136 Our Farming. 



This year we have a new pest in the shape of the clover leaf 

 weevil. It ate holes in the leaves early in the season in a sad 

 manner. But there is a big growth now all the same. 



In regard to saving seed, I prefer to stack the seed clover in 

 the field and thresh there. It is fearful stuff to hull in a barn, or 

 mow away, either. I have tried it all I want to. It is easily 

 saved in the field. If one could get a huller and have good 

 weather at just the right time, he might hull right from the field 

 and save handling. But it is risky waiting. A long wet spell 

 may ruin your seed. I build a stack, as of hay, laying out as I 

 go up until I get as high as one can handily pitch, and then 

 round up slightly and let stand till next day, if weather is safe, or 

 longer. I put about 8 or 10 loads in a stack in this way. I build 

 them in the four corners of a square, if I have four, just far 

 enough apart so we can set huller in between two. After hulling 

 two, move forward to next two. No matter which way wind 

 blows, you can set huller so it will be a comparatively comforta- 

 ble job to do the hulling in this way. After stacks are settled, I 

 cover with straw. I go to barn, and, as the straw is pitched 

 down onto wagon rack, I sprinkle every course, putting on, say, 

 three gallons of water on each one. It is better that the load 

 should stand over night, but not necessary. With this damp 

 straw we top out the stacks, laying a course around outside as far 

 down as possible and whipping down, and then another over and 

 above it, and so on. A moderate load will cover two stacks. 

 I should think 500 pounds of dry straw would cover a stack. 

 When stack settles over, the straw lops way down nearly to 

 ground, and sheds water entirely. I have built many stacks, and 

 never had one wet in. Of course, the straw must be fastened on 

 well. I run two bindertwine strings over and tie a stick of wood 

 on ends. If the haulm is spread directly back on field, one needs 

 to spread thinly, or it will keep frost in in the spring wonderfully. 

 I got badly bothered in this way the first year. 



I would not plow clover under until spring for corn any 

 more than potatoes. You may wonder whether the clover, dying 

 on the surface, does not lose something; whether it is just as well 

 as turning it under green in the fall. It does not lose any more 

 than manure spread on surface. The water dries out. It may 

 not decay quite as quickly as if turned under green, but you lose 

 no fertilizer practically. 



A word as to the feeding value of this wonderful renovating 

 plant. First, by mowing twice I used to get four or five tons of 

 hay per acre. I have mowed three times. This is twice as much 

 nearly as one could have got of timothy on my soil. How that 

 helped me at first ! I do not know whether I have told you be- 

 fore, but I actually did get once about $100 an acre from some 

 fine clover on my best land, fed out in my barn, when hay and 

 beef were both high. Next, it is worth more than timothy, if cut 



