THE GENESEE FARMER. 



We have seen a good crop of turneps that were sown after the wheat crop with one 

 plowing, and sown broadcast at the rate of one pound of seed to the acre ; but they 

 were hand-hoed, costing about $1.50 per acre : and we would say, as the result of some 

 ex])orlence, chat it is vain to expect a good crop of turneps, in nine cases out of ten, 

 without hoeing them. 



We would earnestly recommend the sowing of more root crops on the farm ; and we 

 believe that it would pay every farmer to sow five or six acres of the common turnep in 

 the way we have recommended, after a wheat or barley crop. They could be eaten oft' 

 on the land late in the fiill by sheep, and the manure made by tbeir consumption would 

 be of great value to the following corn crop. It would even pay to sow the turnpes 

 after a grain crop, and let them rot on the land for manure. In this case they need not 

 be hoed, and might be sown perhaps a little thicker. Their value in a system of rota- 

 tion consists principally in collecting nitrogen from the atmosphere, which, whether 

 allowed to rot on the land or consumed by stock and the manure returned to the soil, 

 will be of great value to the subsequent crops. Indeed, it is to this artificial accumula- 

 tion of nitrogen in the soil, by growing root crops, clover, and other leguminous plants, 

 that we must look for an increase in our present yield of wheat, barley, corn, and other 



cereal crops. 



»«.• 



A FEW WORDS ON GROWING CLOVER SEED. 



The largest yield and best quality of clover seed is obtained by pasturing the first 

 year's growth of clover till the last week in May, and then taking out the animals, 

 destroying any Canada thistles, docks, May weed, &c., that may happen to be in the lot, 

 thus insuring clean seed. It is, however, a more general practice to take a i-v,]) of 

 clover hay first, and then allow the second growth to go to seed. In this case the first 

 crop should be mown as early as possible ; for the great difficulty in obtaining a large 

 yield of clover seed is early frosts, which often check the growth of the clover before the 

 seed is fully matured, and a small crop with an inferior quality of seed is the conse- 

 quence. When the first crop is pastured or cut very early for hay, the second crop is 

 of course much earlier, and the seed is elaborated perfectly under the influence of warm 

 weather, while you have much better weather to gather in the crop. If, however, the 

 crop is late, it may be allowed to stand as long as it will grow ; for the frosts do not 

 injure the vitality of the seed, but merely checks its growth. Three bushels of clean 

 seed to the acre is about an average yield, though much larger crops are sometimes — 

 and may be oftener — grown. 



Clover being a leguminous plant, allowing it to go to seed does not impoverish the 

 soil to that extent as do the cereal crops, which specially exhaust the soil of nitrogen, 

 while clover obtains the large quantity of nitrogen which it contains from the atmos- 

 phere ; so that by growing clover seed the soil is not materially impoverished or tlie 

 following corn crop much injured. 



We make these remarks in the hopes that they may induce farmers more generally 

 to grow at least sufticient clover seed for their own use, believing that they wiil scd 

 more land down to clover every year if they do so, than if they have to give thi-ir 

 neigliboi's or city seed-store men four or five dollars per bushel for it, and knowiwj that 

 the yield of wheat and corn crops will bear a pretty constant proportion to the amount 

 of clover grown .and used on the farm. If farmers would make it a rule, with excep- 

 tions only in uncomiaon cases, never to sow wheat or barley without in the spring seed- 

 ing down the land with ten or twelve pounds of Red Clover seed per acre, the increased 

 acreage yield of grain would much more than make up for the fewer number of acres 

 sown; while the greater quantity of stock the land would thus be able to uiaiiu;!in, 

 would gre uly enhance the profits of the farmer. 



?2M. 



