OCTOBER 15, 1914 



829 



SPINKLEfeS CACTUS. 



Welaka, Fla., Sept. 3. — I should like to see 

 something in the Grower about the spineless cactus 

 as a forage crop in Florida. They seem to be using 

 it to some extent in the West; and if it will grow on 

 their arid land there it certainly shouiJ here. 



D. C. M. 



Note. — So many very extravagant claims are be- 

 ing made for spineless cactus that we cannot en- 

 dorse tliat we have kept rather quiet, and prefer to 

 await developments. We were in California at the 

 time when enthusiasts were claiming that this for- 

 age plant would revolutionize the cattle industry. 

 This was eight years ago ; but we hear less about 

 it now than we did at that time. We will investi- 

 gate further. — Editor Florida Grower. 



SWEET CLOVER COMING TO ITS OWN. 



We take pleasure in giving the following, 

 which we clip from the Ohio Farmer for 

 Aug. 15: 



EXPEEIKNCE WITH SWEET CLOVER. - 



Having read much of late both for and against the 

 use of sweet clover, I ask your permission to give 

 our experience. About the second week in March, 

 1913, we broadcasted 360 lbs. of sweet-clover seed 

 on 28 acres of wheat. We neglected to tell our ten- 

 ant that we had supplied sweet clover instead of 

 little red, and when we did tell him he was rather 

 hot under the collar. I did not hold this against 

 him, as the plant has alwajs had a bad reputation 

 around here. 



Numerous parties were kind enough to tell him 

 how he had filled the soil with a noxious weed that 

 he would never get rid of. This naturally did not 

 help matters, but, being a sensible man, he resolved 

 to make the best of it, and the dubious ones were 

 busy collecting all the evil things they ever heard 

 (or imagined) about this " terrible weed." 



Well, to make a long story short, after harvest we 

 found that we did not have an even stand of our 

 clover ; but before winter set in things did not look 

 so bad, and what we had was from 12 to 18 inches 

 high. This growth was not clipped. 



This ground was not plowed until toward the last 

 of April, and the clover had a root growth of from 2 

 to 3 Vz feet, and from one-half to one inch in diam- 

 ter, just below the crown. This meant hard work 

 for five or six horses to the double-disk plow. The 

 corn was planted at about the usual time, and re- 

 ceived four or five cultivations, being laid by when 

 hip high. It really should have had another culti- 

 vation, at least with the one-horse cultivator. 



Now as to results : We have had several very hot 

 dry spells when other corn would shrivel and show 

 lack of moisture. At such times our corn was fresh 

 and green as though it had received a good soaking 

 rain. We feel to-day, and have felt right along, that 

 we have one of the very best fields of corn to be seen 

 in Miami County. And the best of it is, that the 

 very ones who condemned sweet clover at first now 

 say that it is by far the best green manure they 

 know of for corn. Both our tenant and ourselves 

 are glad to give the clover the credit, and we can't 

 very well help it when we look at other fields with 

 just as good or better soil, and see corn half or two- 

 thirds as large, and uneven as to stand. With a 

 fair trial I think you will find that, as a moisture 

 and nitrogen provider, sweet clover has no equal. — 

 W. D. ASHTON. 



SWEET CLOVER HAS THE STAGE 



For the past two years increasing attention has 

 been given to sweet clover as a forage plant. County 

 agricultural agents in several States last year gave 

 some attention to it in an experimental way. Those 

 in Kansas and South Dakota were particularly ac- 

 tive, and the results were so satisfactory that the 

 area seeded this year has been enormously increased. 

 W. E. Watkins, Allen County, Kan., reports that 

 more than 2000 acres were seeded in that county 

 this year. The interest in this plant has been pri- 

 marily as a soil ameliorant. It is establishing itself 

 in a very promising way as a forage plant. Last year 

 Mr. Mosher, Clinton County, Iowa, conducted an 

 excursion to a farm on which is grown annually 60 

 to 100 acres of sweet clover for hay and pasture on 

 land worth more than $100 per acre. On June 9 

 and 10 this year Mr. Bishop and Mr. Grannis, two 

 Illinois county agents, joined in an excursion to a 

 300-acre sweet-clover farm in Ogle County, Illinois. 

 One county sent 21 automobiles with 109 farmers, 

 representing 25 townships. A total of 45 automo- 

 biles made up the train. Among the interesting 

 things done on the farm visited is the pasturing of 

 60 head of cattle on 40 acres of sweet clover. The 

 clover is also used successfully as ensilage. 



Sweet clover will succeed in situations so adverse 

 that other plants will hardly grow in them. 



SOMETHING MORE ABOUT SWEET CLOVER. 



Through the kindness of our veteran 

 friend M. M. Baldridge, of St. Charles, 111., 

 we give the following clipping from Better 

 Farming : 



HORSERADISH — HOW TO PUT IT UP FOR THE 

 MARKET. 



Friend Root : — As for "Horseradish, Christianity," 

 etc. (see June 15, p. 478), I am very fond of horse- 

 radish; and if there is any profit in selling it I 

 should like to know the best way of doing it. Wliat 

 kind of machinery is needed? How shall I put it 

 up ? In fact, I want all the information you can 

 give an old man with ten little ones to care for. 



T. J. Chamberlain, Sr. 



Cannonsburg, Miss., July 15. 



My good friend, the first thing you want 

 to do is to get some nice horseradish roots. 

 It needs very rich gi*ound, and it will stand 

 lots of water, I have seen horseradish grow- 

 ing in the greatest luxuriance on the borders 

 of swamps; but nice roots can be gi'own in 

 almost any garden if you make the soil rich 

 enough and give the plants plenty of water. 

 Cuttings are generally made of the little 

 roots about the size of a leadpencil or 

 smaller, cut into three or four inch lengths. 

 When you begin digging the roots, and 

 trimming them, you will get plenty of the 

 best size for planting out. 



Our grinder was a home-made affair. We 

 removed the saw from one of our buzz-saw 

 tables and screwed on a block of wood. This 

 block was turned into a true cylinder, per- 

 haps 4 inches long and about the same in 

 diameter. Then a cylinder made of tin was 

 slipped over this cylinder of wood with one 

 end projecting. It was slipped on to the 

 wooden cylinder just far enough to fasten 

 it with screws. The other end was left open. 

 Now punch this cylinder full of holes so as 

 to leave the burr edge out, just like the 

 surface of a common horseradish-grater. 

 Now, if you run this grater or cylinder at 

 a good speed, and hold the roots against the 



