'M6 



NEW ENGLAx\D FARMER. 



feb. IG, )mi 



From Deiine's J\'tic England Farmer. 



CLOVER, Trifolimn, pratevse, a species of tre- 

 foil, esteemed as an excellent grass for tlie feed- 

 ing ofcattle,botW green and dried. The h;iy irmde 

 of clover is more suitable for horses than any 

 other that this country affords. Horses kept on it 

 will fatten, even in the most unfavourable season 

 of the year. It answers well when used as soiling 

 or eaten out of racks without drying. 



Green clover is known to be good feeding for 

 swine. Keeping them in pastures, where there is 

 plenty of this grass, will make thorn grow fast,and 



fktten so as to almost become fit for the knife. 



Bat when they go in pastures they should have 

 rings in tlieir noses. Otherwise they will root out 

 the clover. 



Red and white clover are the only sorts known 

 and esteemed in this country ; as to the wild sort 

 or variety ,with a rough leaf,it is of no consequence. 

 It is the red clover that is of most constqueDce 

 for mowing. It is a biennial grass, and if it did 

 not sow its own seeds, would entirely run out the 

 third year. The white is generally too small and 

 short, unless when it is drawn to a greater height 

 by being mixed with other grases. 



Many farmers, instead of sowing clean seed of 

 clover, content themselves with sowing cliatf and 

 <lust from the floors of their barns. This is a 

 slovenly and uncertain method, oftentimes at- j 

 tended with great loss. Fonls are usually admit- ; 

 ted into barns ; and when this is the case, none 

 can tell how much, or how little of the h:;y seed 

 remains among the dust : So that tiie farmer who ! 

 sows it, may either over-sted his land ; or, which 

 is a more common case, not seed it half enough. I 

 A consequence of which last will be, that he will' 

 have no good crop of hay from his sowing. He ' 

 must either plougli up his land again, for the mere , 

 purpose of seeding it witli grass, or let it lie use- ' 

 iess till the grass gradually gets in; either of! 

 v^hich e.Kpedients will be attended with inconve- j 

 nience and loss. I am aware that farmers, espec- 

 ■ ially those in the northern parts of New England, 

 will object, that if grass do not get in the first 

 year, it will the second. But they should consid- 

 er that the loss of the first year's crop is consider- 

 able. Not only so, but it is losing the crop that is ' 

 to be expectec' from a clover lay ; and the land 

 will become bound and weedy, before it is filled 

 with grass roots ; so that no large crop will be 

 be had from it afterwards, nor any clean or un- ' 

 mixed crop, from which it w ill answer to take ' 

 clean seed. 1 



The qu.antity of 6eed to be sown on an acre, ac- 

 cording to the opinions of the best European cul- 

 tivators,is not si.x or ten as with us,but from fifteen 

 to twenty pounds. By this mode of sowing it 

 grows less rank, lodges less, and is more profita- 

 ble for soiling and for hay. 



It i."! no small recommendation of this grass, that 

 it is adapted to a soil, that is suitable for scarcely 

 any other grasses, which are cultivated in this 



country ; to a soil that is dry, light, and sandy 



It does well also on gravel and loam. 



European farmers recommend sowing it in the 

 spring, after the grain is up, and harrowing it in ; 

 and they tell us the harrowing will not damage 

 the corn, but rather be a service to it, when it is 

 either spri-ng or winter grain. That it should be 

 sowed in the spring is granted, aniens ic be in 

 countries where there are no severe winter frosts. 

 The young jjlants, which co.nie up in the fail, can- 



not bear tlio frost so well as those which have had 

 ja vvlioie summer to bring them on townrds maturi- 

 1 ty. Their reason for not sowing it at the same 

 ; time as the grain it grows with, is an apprehended 

 [danger of its growing so fast us to obstruct the 

 [growth of the grain. But I have never found this 

 to he the case in fact. 



; Mr Eliot recommends a different method, which 

 : is ploughing in the seed ; which, he tiiinks, and 

 not without reason, will cause it to bear drought 

 the better, and become the more strongly rooted. 

 I believe i may adfl, that it will be more likely to 

 escape in the frosts of winter, which are so intense 

 in this country, as often to kill almost whole fields 

 of clover. 



Peat ashes are said to be a very proper dressing 

 for clover grounds. But this gras.« answers so 

 well in this country without minure, that the 

 farmers choose to set apart the whole of tlie ma- 

 nure that they can get for other purposes. 



Some think clover is so far from needing any ma- 

 nure, that it will recruit lands which are worn out. 

 That it will do it more than other grasses I cannot 

 yet sec any reason to believe. It will bear no 

 crop worth mowing, on lands which are quite ex- 

 hausted. But it is probable it may produce good 

 crops, on lands wliich are much impoverished near 

 the surface, by bearing plants with short, fibrous, 

 or horizontal roots ; because clover sends its main 

 roots to a great depth. And while a field lies sev- 

 eral years in clover, the soil near the surface may ' 

 be considerably recruited. But that land on the 

 whole will be in better heart, after several heavy 

 crops of clover are taken from it, and no manure , 

 laid on, seems incredible. 



Writers on agriculture seem, however, to be 

 agreed, that a clover lay is proper for the culture , 

 of wheat. The rotting of its large roots and stalks 

 may answer as a good manure no ways liable tc j 

 distemper the wheat, as some other manures are I 

 thought to he. i 



Some skillful farmers insist much on the proprie- ] 

 ty of sowing clover seed with barley. I suppose [ 

 it will answer well with almost any grain that we : 

 call English. But with a crop of peas, or with I 

 any other crop that forms a close shade to the soil, ! 

 it will not answer. The young plants must have | 

 advantage of the sun and air, or they will not live. ' 

 And if it be sown with flax, at least in some loose j 

 soils, the pulling of the flax will be apt to eradi- i 

 cate much of the clover. Crops which lodge are 

 also destructive to the young clover, by forming so ' 

 close a cover as to stifle it. Therefore, when clo- | 

 ver seed is sown, either with barley or fla.x, the 

 ground should be rather under than over seeded, I 

 to prevent lodging. 



Clover being an early grass, it is commonly fit ' 

 to cut in June. When half the heads are turned 

 from red to brown, and on the decay, it is the 

 right time to mow it. But if the seed is to be sav 

 ed for use, it must stand till it is all dead ripe, both 

 heads and stalks. It requires more care to make 

 clover into hay than most other grasses. That 

 which is mown in a morning, should be spread, 

 turned, and rakel op before night. The next day, 

 if the weather be fair, it must be opened, stirred ' 

 once or twice, and cocked up again. Then, after 

 sweating a day or two, it may be put into a barn. 

 Rank clover requires much more drying than that , 

 which is of a moderate growth. And the hay is I 

 not so good. 



In the most southerly parts of New England, 

 land in good heart will bear two crops of clover 1 



Jill i 



in a year. Mr Eliot, therefore recommends sai 

 the second crop for seed, the first crop iiaving 

 mowed early. But two crops are not to be obi 

 ed in the northern parts of this country. Am 

 they were, so frequent a cutting would be apl 

 make the roots shorter lived. It is advisabl 

 pasture it in May, and then let it grow for si 

 It is best to cut clover for seed on land that is 

 to be broken up : because a crop of seed weal 

 the roots much more than a crop of hay ; and 

 doubtful vvhetlier ijwill bear any considerable 

 afleruards. Ind<?ed, no crop of clover is of 

 great importance or hay, after the second y 

 for it is a liienni il plant. 



The IVhile Cluvtr, vulgarly called honeysuc! 

 is an e.xcellent gnss, an. I seems very natural! 

 ■this country. B.it when sown by i'self, it does 

 grow tall enough for mowinnr. It ■. ijood for ft 

 [ ing in pastures, during the fore \>;u\ ^if summer, 

 which time it often appears in gr^ [denty. 



The author of a valuable work, enrilled, ' 

 Treatise on Agriculture," lately published in 

 bany, directs ten or twelve pounds vf clover si 

 to be sown on an acre, if the soil be rich, and di 

 ble the quantity if it be poor. He condemns 

 practice of mixing the seeds of timotliy and 

 grass, &c. with that of clover, " because tli 

 grasses neither ri^e nor ripen at the same tiir,o..i 

 Another practice equally bad, is that of soivii 

 clover seed on winter gr.Tin, before the etirtii hi 

 ncquired a temperature favourable to vegetntid 

 and when there ran be no doubt but thiil tw 

 thirds of the seeds will perish." This writ ir •! 

 opinion that clover should not be pastured tijc Crs 

 year, and observes, that " If the crov;ns of youju 

 clover roots be nibbled, or othe'rwisc wounded, th l,r! 

 roots die. Sheep iind horses (both ot whii.ii biti |li 

 closely.) should therefore be pani.-ularly excluded li 

 from clover, unless intendefi f-r pn-turage i^nlv." \' 



According to the same author •' the short pprion » 

 between the flon-ering and the seeding of clover, \ 

 is that in which its use would be most advanta- i«l 

 geous, whether regarded as forage, or as an ameli. |>, 

 orating crop." But " when seed is the principal!- 

 object of culture, we cannot do better than to 

 adopt the practice in Holland — ^\vhero the first 

 crop is cut hefore it flowers, and the second is re 

 served for seed." 



Green clover is good food for swine in summer; , 

 and when cut green, ,ind salted, after baing a lit- h 

 tie withered, with about half a peck of salt to a ); 

 load, it makes good food for swine in winter. But 

 for this latter purpose it should be steamed, or 

 boiled. 



Mode of securing Timber from Decay. 

 Timber for buildings, especially for ships* i> 

 bridges, canals, granaries and stables may be ef- 

 fectually preserved from decay, and particularly 

 the rot, by repeatedly impregnating the wood with 

 a solution of common salt and green copperas.— 

 This simple process is attended with such decided 

 advantage, that wood thus prepared will remain 

 for ages, perfectly sound. An instance of thi« 

 fact occurred in the theatre at Copenhagen, where 

 the lowei part of the planks and joists formerly re- 

 quired to be replaced in a few years, till Mr Vol-, 

 meister, an architect of that city, discovered and 

 employed the process above stated. Twelve years 

 after, the wood on removing one of the boirds, 

 was found in such a state of preservation that he 

 could not observe the least appearance of decay. 

 [English Publication.] 



