CLOVER SEED: 
VarleliNi C'nlinrv, Management, &c. 
In a late Rural New-Yorker, a West¬ 
ern Subscriber wishes to bo informed in re¬ 
gard to the modus operandi of cutting, cur¬ 
ing and cleaning clover seed. In Western 
New York, two varieties of red clover are in 
cultivation. Trifolium pratt-nxe and Trifoli¬ 
um medium , or, as commonly called, the 
large and small kind or varieties. Owing to 
the size and coarseness of the stem of the 
large variety, when sown upon good soil, 
it is not as generally cultivated as the small 
variety, which produces, upon productive 
soils, a line, nutritious, and, when properly 
cured, exceedingly palatable hay, that all 
kinds of stock relish and thrive upon. 
Time of Howinjr the Heed. 
Clover seed should always lie sown in the 
spring oi the year, if sown upon the late 
snows of March or April, it soon finds its 
way down to Lite soil; the better plan is, 
however, after the snow lias disappeared, 
when the ground is frozen, and the wind 
still, to sow the seed. It thus immediately 
finds its way into the soil. Fall sown land 
is universally seeded to clover, for the reason 
tliaL it can he easily sown In spring and con¬ 
siderable growth he gained ere the drouth of 
summer. However, ground can he seeded 
to clover with any spring sown cereal crop, 
immediately after drilling, or before or after 
the last harrowing, if sown broadcast. We 
have known the best results to be obtained 
by seeding upon land sown to spring wheat 
and barley. As much depends upon the 
curliness of sowing, if you arc to seed after 
spring crops, hasten the time of sowing as 
fast as the season and soil will permit. 
Qiinntity ol H«m«l per A eve. 
This is a very important, consideration, 
and one upon which no two exactly agree. 
We consider eight quarts per acre about the 
right quantity, if sown evenly, and upon 
soil naturally dry or properly imderdrninod, 
to prevent heaving out in spring; a greater 
quantity, however, would prove beneficial 
in many instances, hut the sowing of ten 
quarts per acre of pure, reliable seed, should 
he considered sufficient for any purpose. 
Occasionally, a farmer sows from one to two 
bushels per acre. If there he wisdom in 
this lavish expenditure, we fail to compre¬ 
hend it. Eight quarts of red clover per acre, 
reckoning at 14,000,000 seeds per bushel, 
gives nearly seven hundred and sixty seeds 
per square yard. 
A few farmers practice mixing several va¬ 
rieties of grass seed together at sowing; but 
it is not practiced in this section (illthough 
we sometimes mix four quarts of clover to 
a bushel of timothy when seeding down 
partially-drained land for permanent, pastur¬ 
age, &c.,) for three reasonsFirst, This is 
a clover seed-producing section, and we 
wish the article pure; Second, After two or 
three years timothy naturally supersedes 
clover; Third, We do not know that the 
intermixing of various kinds of seed is pro¬ 
ductive of good results. If a finer quality 
of hay he desired, sow the seed liberally, 
which will multiply the number of stalks 
Time of Culling lov liny. 
When clover is desired for hay, after it, 
lias all, or nearly all, blossomed, it is cut, 
although many desire to have the seeds a 
little brown. By cutting in the morning, 
the hot sun during the day will sufficiently 
wilt it—even if the swatli he heavy—so that 
just at night it may be turned with the ted¬ 
der, and placed in cocks. 'I'hey should not 
be pressed down, us the air should freely 
circulate, and remain until sufficiently dried 
to put into 1 lie barn. Should a quantity of 
old hay or straw he convenient, il is well to 
alternate a layer of clover and of straw or 
dry hay in storing it, clover can thus he 
housed when quite green, ns the straw ab¬ 
sorbs its juice, and is rendered quite palat¬ 
able to stock. Salt and lime arc sometimes 
applied, hut we have never been favorably 
impressed with the results, especially upon 
clover. 
Time of Culling for Sped. 
The heads of clover, to thresh well,should 
he ripe when cut; as iL ripens very uneven¬ 
ly, it will need to be closely watched, that it 
be not too ripe. A proper guide is when 
many of the seeds can be removed by fric¬ 
tion between the hands; or when the stems 
are dry enough to snap when pressure is ap¬ 
plied, the crop may ha safely cut. This is 
best and most economically done by attach¬ 
ing a small platform or apron to the rear of 
the finger-bar of a mowing machine, as il¬ 
lustrated in Rural New-Yorker, in the 
fall of 1868. 
When properly dried, it should he stacked 
or sheltered until winter when, by using 
ti combined clover thresher and cleaner, 
it can be removed from the straw at the 
rate of from five to forty bushels per day, at 
an expense for threshing of from 75 cents to 
$1.50 per bushel. 
Should the clover he the small or medium 
variety, it may he mown in July, and then 
allowed to grow and ripen for seed; or pas¬ 
tured until that late, and then saved as be¬ 
fore. The large variety being two weeks or 
more later in ripening, is but seldom mowed 
previous to saving f< >r seed. When the small 
kind is for seed, it should, if possible, he 
mowed, in preference to pasturing, as it re¬ 
moves the first weeds, and the second growth 
of the clover is so rapid as to smother them 
and prevent them seeding ; thus, the clover 
is saved comparatively clean. 
Whether it will pay to raise clover seed 
for market, is a question difficult to answer. 
The price of seed is so unstable, and crops 
so uncertain, that, wo have come to consider 
it rather a precarious crop. For instance, 
for several years good crops have been pro¬ 
duced iu this section, and with high prices; 
from $40 to $80 per acre have been realized 
from its culture ; while the crop of last, fall 
did not yield to the grower $15 per acre, and 
In many instances not one-third that amount. 
And yet in a term or years, perhaps,as good 
results would accrue from the cultivation of 
clover ns any crop. Its harvesting and 
lbreshing comes at a period when other farm 
operations are not harassing, and should it 
Upon examination lie found filling butsliglit- 
ly, can he cut earlier, and tolerable good hay 
he realized. 
Applying CJyp&nm. 
It is truly remarkable what a deckled ef¬ 
fect gypsum, when applied to growing clo¬ 
ver, has in hastening its growth. It should 
always be applied to clover fields as soon as 
their green leaves have appeared, especially 
if it he designed for hay; and even for pas¬ 
turage, it will pay to apply it at the rate of 
one bushel (one hundred pounds) per acre. 
On all clover intended to produce seed, gyp¬ 
sum should be applied in July, to strengthen 
and hasten the growth. If one has afield 
on which the clover is about run out, and it 
is desired for pasturage the coining season, 
apply gypsum. It is a fertilizer that is ex¬ 
tensively used, and yearly winning its way 
Lo favor. 
ClunniiiK Clover Seed. 
Seed as it comes from the machine, is of¬ 
ten suitably cleaned for market; or by strict¬ 
ly following the directions accompanying 
farming-mills, now offered by dealers, clover 
seed can he rapidly and satisfactorily cleaned. 
Yates Co., N. Y. * b. D. S, 
anti- £1 epartwent 
i mn 
i • ■ • r# 
We give herewith an illustration of the 
apparatus referred to above. It consists in 
attaching to the finger-bar of a common 
mowing machine a light platform or gather¬ 
ing apron, B, made of half-inch pine hoards 
the length of the finger-bar, three feet wide— 
a trifle wider at the outer end, as shown iu 
the illustration. At. the end and rear are 
nailed, or otherwise secured to the plat¬ 
form, strips of hoard (fight inches wide. 
P, P arc common iron strap hinges—the 
longer portion firmly riveted to the platform 
and the shorter bolted to the finger bar. A. 
few inches from either end cleats of hard 
wood arc screwed to the under side of the 
platform. Tlu; clover, as it, is cut, falls on 
this platform, B, and is raked off into gavels 
by a man who accompanies the machine for 
the purpose. If raked off directly opposite 
each other, at each circuit of tho field, they 
will he left, in winrows in better condition 
for handling than the crop could he put by 
the use of a horse-rake. The cost of this 
addition to a mower is small, and can be 
used in harvesting short grain as well, if 
desired. 
-- 
FIELD NOTES. 
How lo Prevent Potatoes Sprouting In 
Sninmer. 
J. S. P. writes the Rural New-Yorker 
in answer to an inquiry:—“ At digging time 
I sort my potatoes well; place all the good 
ones in a good common cellar. In the 
spring, when they begin to sprout, I take off 
the sprouts three times carefully when they 
are about an inch long, letting them remain 
in the cellar, and they will never sprout 
again, hut remain fresh and plump until new 
ones come.” 
Novel Mode of Planting Potatoes. 
Ira. H. Collins, New Hampshire, writes 
the Rural New-Yorker: — “Farmers in 
this vicinity have a novel way of planting 
potatoes, by laying them on the ground and 
covering them over with thatch so that the 
sun will not burn them. They are better in 
quality and grow in larger numbers.” This 
is not a new mode, it is extensively and 
successfully practiced in many localities 
throughout the country. Especially in lo¬ 
calities subject to long drouths, if straw is 
plenty, it is an excellent and profitable 
practice. 
WHAT CORRESPONDENTS SAY. 
From Hi I ill an, Ironuot* Co., III. 
Iroquois Co., Ill., furnishes many rare 
advantages which should command the at¬ 
tention and are worthy the investigation of 
those who are contemplating a change of 
locality. It, embraces about twelve (1200) 
hundred square miles of as fine and rich 
prairie soil as can he found West and about 
two (200) hundred square miles of limber, 
skirting the Iroquois river and its tributa¬ 
ries. The Illinois Central railroad traverses 
the entire length of the county, from north 
to south, giving direct connection with 
Chicago, St Louis and Cairo. The Toledo, 
Peoria and Warsaw railroad runs the entire 
length of the county, from east to west, 
crossing the Illinois Central at Oilman, and 
giving the advantage of the Toledo and 
Eastern markets direct, without having to 
pass through Chicago, which adds 5 to 8 
cts. per bushel to the value of grain. We 
have now two more railroads under contract 
and will he built in the next year; when 
completed the railroad advantages of this 
county will he equal to any in the West. 
The great advantage, however, which Iro¬ 
quois Co. will ever possess over others, is 
in its fine artesian wells which abound, and 
cost hut a nominal sum compared with their 
value. An ever-flowing stream of pure cold 
water, possessing just mineral qualities 
enough to make it pleasant and healthful, 
rows from them. When we consider the 
adaptat ion of the soil for corn and grazing 
purposes, in connection with the market ad¬ 
vantages and never-failing streams of pure, 
cold water just where they are wanted, I 
hesitate not to say that there is no other lo¬ 
cation in the United States offering the same 
advantages for the dairy business. 
Notwithstanding the above facts, good 
homes are in the reach of all industrious, 
enterprising persons. Good land can he had 
within a few miles of any of the flourishing 
railroad towns, at from $10 to $20 per acre, 
unimproved. Improved farms can he had 
for enough more to cover cost of improve¬ 
ments. 
The writer has no land to sell, nor is he 
connected with any land agency; hut he 
will take pleasure in giving any Information 
in his power to correspondents inclosing 
stamp, who desire, l^i become citizens of the 
West. 
So far, we have had a very fine spring; 
farmers are well advanced with their work, 
and the prospect for crops are flattering.— 
W. H. Mann. 
From "Flippo,” Caroline Co., Vn. 
From a familiar acquaintance in many 
sections of this State,from all the Indications 
and exponents of public sentiment that 1 
have carefully observed; from the tone of 
the press and the acts of all in authority, I 
make the candid assertion that 1 do not 
think that there is a single locality in this 
State where the fact that a manor the mem¬ 
bers of liis family came from the North, 
would subject them to " social ostracism,” 
or “ where the holding or expressing of po¬ 
litical or religious Opinion, or the belonging 
to a sect, or party would affect their social 
relations,” or “ where the flag of our com¬ 
mon country is hated, scoffed at, and its au¬ 
thority refused obedience, except by force.” 
On the contrary, there has been manifested 
in every possible way, a disposition to estab¬ 
lish a kind, friendly and conciliatory feeling 
towards all Northern men immigrating to 
Virginia. Every aid and assistance lias been 
cheerfully and gratuitously afforded to make 
their new location pleasant, agreeable and 
profitable. Our families have visited theirs, 
and used every means to make them feel at 
home among us. I am satisfied that there is 
not a single just cause of complaint in this 
whole region, upon any of the grounds al¬ 
luded to above. 
More than a hundred families have settled 
iu this vicinity in the last two or three years, 
and I confidently appeal to and refer to them 
to substantiate tho truth of the above re¬ 
marks. All have uniformly expressed them¬ 
selves highly delighted at, their reception. 
Have we not in Virginia, by an overwhelm¬ 
ing majority, elected a Northern Governor 
of the State ? and to whose acts and recom¬ 
mendations so far every Virginian points 
with pride? lias not the Legislature re¬ 
cently elected under our new constitution 
conferred one of the most responsible offices, 
that of State Treasurer, upon a Northern 
man? Have not the native citizens in many 
instances recommended Northern men to 
fill various civil positions? Does this look 
like “ social or political ostracism ? ” 
Our new constitution makes ample pro¬ 
vision for the most liberal system of free 
schools, which will be established so soon 
as the organization can be perfected and the 
details put into operation. 
It is to Middle Virginia that I more par¬ 
ticularly refer, the counties between Fred¬ 
ericksburg and Richmond, and Caroline I 
consider the best of them. The land is 
easily worked and highly productive, and 
susceptible of the very highest state of fer¬ 
tility. All grain and tobacco is abundantly 
produced. Fruit of all kinds, apples, pears, 
peaches, grapes, mid all small fruits can he 
and are raised to great perfection and in 
great profusion, and convenient to market. 
Stock of nil kinds thrive well here. The 
climate is all any Northern man could de¬ 
sire, and the country remarkable lor health. 
There is no region on the globe where in¬ 
dustry and economy are more surely and 
abundantly rewarded. 
To the capitalist the greatest inducements 
are offered. Investments can he made safe 
and profitable. Land of all descriptions and 
quantities can he purchased at low rates; 
also mills, mill sites and manufactories. All 
these are gradually' and surely increasing in 
value. 
The new constitution also permits loans 
at the rate of twelve per cent., which can 
readily he secured by mortgage on unen¬ 
cumbered real estate. We say, then, lo all, 
come without fear, we extend a cordial in¬ 
vitation to all Northern men to come and 
help us develop the inexhaustible resources 
of this good old Commonwealth. And, Mr. 
Editor, T hope you may find time to visit 
this favored part of Virginia; 1 think I can 
pledge a reception and an experience which 
will materially modify your views of' (lie 
propriety of coming this far South.— J. a. v . 
From Austin, Tcxns. 
I know of no place where an intelligent, 
industrious man can do more with small 
capital than here. Land is cheap, the soil 
rich, diversified, of easy culture, requiring 
less labor to make large returns than any 
land that I have ever seen. But it is more 
shamefully abused than any other Stale in 
the Union. And Ihe old settlers seem de¬ 
termined upon adhering to their fogyisin, 
and try to discourage everybody else from 
making an effort to redeem the credit of the 
conn try agricu I tu rn i ly. 
We have lived here two years, and have 
had time and opportunity to observe and 
experiment on the production of the soil, 
and are fully satisfied that wc can raise any¬ 
thing here that we could in the Northwest, 
with as much certainty as we did there. 
The soil is a deep black muck, having the 
appearance of an alluvial deposit on soil 
white clay or limestone. The farm laud is 
mostly prairie. Cotton is still the “ King,” 
for it always commands ihe cash at homo, 
and yields from one-half to a bale per acre. 
Corn is next in importance, yielding from 
thirty to fifty bushels per acre. Wheat, 
hurley and ry« eacli from twelve to twenty- 
five bushels per acre, and pretty sure crops. 
Oats yield thirty bushels per acre. Hunga¬ 
rian grass and millet yield heavy crops. 
Both sweet and Irish potatoes do well here, 
and bring high prices. Garden vegetables 
of every kind grow to perfection, if planted 
on old, well manured ground. 
If people in Illinois put in their crops as 
they do here, they would not make enough 
for seed; and yet they complain of the land. 
Let me describe a field that I rode past yes¬ 
terday:—It was marked off into rows, three 
feet and a-half apart. I asked the driver 
(an Englishman) wlmt the Judge was going 
to do with his ground. 
“ Oil,” said .Torn, “ he has planted it to 
corn, lie just run one furrow and dropped 
the corn, and then threw the same furrow 
hack on the row, and is going to plow 
around the corn when it is up large enough, 
and then run a furrow through the middle, 
which, lie says, will destroy the sunflowers, 
which are a foot high now.” 
This is no solitary case; half tlie land is 
cultivated in this style. And when the ground 
is broken they only scratch the surface, so 
as to keep the moisture in. We need Ho¬ 
race Greeley here, to set the plows. I 
love this beautiful country, and would he 
glad to see justice done to lier resources— 
they arc innumerable.— l. n. r. 
From Co non City, Col. Ter. 
We think we have a fine farming, and a 
better, or as good, a fruit country as can he 
found between the Missouri River and Cali¬ 
fornia, and probably as good as California, 
when properly tested. We are young yet. 
Last year we raised peaches; next year wc 
will raise apples I never saw trees look 
finer and healthier anywhere; the growth is 
very fast. There is considerable small fruit 
raised; all do well. We have the finest cli¬ 
mate to live in iu the world.—w. A. n. 
From Southwestern Missouri. 
A correspondent writes that the soil is 
varied and of fair quality, plenty of good 
lumber, numerous springs, fine streams, 
clear as crystal, with gravel or rock bot¬ 
toms, abounding with tine mill slabs and ex- 
lent fish. Surface of country diversified, 
somewhat hilly and rough along the mar¬ 
gins of the rivers. Summers long and tem¬ 
perate, healthful, nights cool and refreshing; 
no extreme heat in summer nor cold in win¬ 
ter. All the grains, vegetables and fruits of 
the North grow here, with sweet potatoes, 
cotton, peanuts, &c. 
Gibe lurbsnum. 
BIG CALVES. 
.John Weldy, Burns, Allegany Co., N. 
Y., writes: — "A cow belonging to Mr. 
George C. IT. Bill of this town, gave birth 
to a calf on the 22d of April last which 
weighed, when twelve hours old, one hun¬ 
dred and twenty five pounds.” 
I. W. Briggs,* West Macedon, N. Y., 
writes:—“My neighbor, Leguand Couch, 
near Wayneport, in Macedon, N. Y., lias a 
calt that beats Mr. Pierce’s of Farmington, 
Ohio, which heat Mr. Smith's of Manila, N. 
Y. Mr. Coucn is one of our best farmers, 
raises good stock and good crops. Tins calf 
was regarded as extraordinary, so much so 
that neighbors hearing of it, paid the ‘ Boss’ 
a visit, and it was proposed to weigh him 
before lie could stand alone or had sucked 
tho cow. Ilia weight, one hundred and 
forty pounds, was so astounding it was 
thought there must he some mistake about 
it; hut. on weighing with the utmost care 
and precision, il was found to weigh pre¬ 
cisely one hundred and forty and a quarter 
pounds, and girted three feet before lie had 
sucked. Mr. Couon, therefore, claims the 
* belt,’ and will step aside for any one In 
Ohio or any other State who can heat his 
calf, I measured the call to-day, (June 22,) 
ana he girts now four feet four inches, and 
is twelve weeks old.” 
N. O, Et.v, Mendon Center, N. Y., writes: 
“ I have a calf, dropped by my cow, which 
weighed when two days old one hundred 
and thirty pounds. It is now nearly two 
years old, and is conceded by my neighbors 
to he the largest two-year-old they have ever 
seen. The same cow dropped a calf the 
present season, which I neglected to weigh, 
but should think would li 1 1 ly r come up to 
Mr. Pierce’s.” 
-- 
A COW FOR BUTTER. 
Permit an old Rural reader to give you 
a description of a cow we have. She is 
ten years old ; a cross of Durham and Native; 
large size and a remarkable feeder. She 
dropped her calf on the lfilli day of May, 
I860, from which time to some lime in .March, 
over and above cream and milk used in the 
family of two pel-sons, we made five hundred 
and one pounds of butter. She was never 
grained until last winter ; gave her then t wo 
quarts of shorts and one. pint of corn meal, 
twice a day. Her keep through the summer 
is grass with the slops from the kitchen, 
and whey when we have it. I milk three 
times a day in the best part of the season, 
while the feed is most fresh, at which time 
wc get about t hirty quarts or sixty pounds of 
milk; have milked sixty-three pounds and 
over. We churned in four weeks last sum¬ 
mer upwards of ninety pounds of butler from 
lier milk. 
The foregoing will he thought, by some, as 
doubtless it, will he, a big story, hut il is 
nevertheless true. 1 know whereof I affirm, 
as I weighed all the butter myself, except 
one small churning near the close of making. 
Anson Beebe. 
Wayne Co., N. Y. 
- 4 » 4 ■ — 
NOTES FOR HERDSMEN. 
lilootly Milk in Cows. 
W., Hillsboro, Va., writes:—“Please let 
me know through your paper the cause and 
a remedy for Moody milk in cows.” It is 
generally believed among herdsmen that it 
results from some injury to the teal or udder 
—a wound, or bruise, from which inflamma¬ 
tion results. It may he that the interior of 
the udder is affected with some disorder. 
We have never used as a remedy anything 
hut cold water, carefully and persistently 
milking the animal and bathing the udder 
often. Some dairymen give cows so affected 
an ounce of saltpetre once a day, dissolved 
iu water. When the teats get clogged up 
wc have used a small, smooth, blunt-pointed 
wire to clear the passage through the teat. 
Some dairymen fill a rubber bag with water 
and enclose the udder in it. This brings the 
fever down, especially if the water is occa¬ 
sionally changed. 
Ten Gallons at One Milking. 
There is a man in this county (Wilson 
Co., Tcnn.,) a small farmer, who lias a cow 
which he says gives ten gallons of milk at 
onetime. The gentleman’s wife, who does 
the milking, corroborates the above state¬ 
ment. The cow is milked hut twice a day, 
morning and evening. She runs on red 
clover, and is fed on a little wheat bran at 
each milking. Who has a cow that can 
beat this?—n. 
•- 44-4 -- 
Inquiries for IlrnUtnea,—Ofttt you or any of 
your readers tell mu how tu prevent one cow 
from nocking another? 1 have a cow which 
four different cows suck; hut il she is kept up 
they do not stick the others—A SiraSCttlBKH 
Will some one having experience give the rolft 
tjv e value of carrots and potatoes for feeding 
| milch cows?— t. u. c. 
