426 
fl 
JUNE 28 
Seeding In The Corn Field. 
SOWING TIMOTHY UNO CLOVER AT 
THE LAST CULTIVATION OF LORN 
WOULD IT ANSWER? 
DODGING DROUGTH. 
The following questions were sent us last 
May. The answers'form an interesting study 
of a somewhat new idea infarming. 
W. O. F., Grecnsburg, Indiana .—What 
would be the result of sowing a mixture of 
Timothy and clover in July in corn ground 
at the time of the last plowing of the corn; 
the ground to be in the best tilth, and free 
from weeds? Under the protection of the 
corn would both the clover and Timothy] get 
such a start as to be able to withstand any 
ordinary winter? Would the growth make 
good meadow or pasture land for the next 
year? 
We are having a very severe drought 
which has already destroyed about all the 
spring-sown grass and clover and has very 
materially injured the wheat, oats and 
meadows. Would additional grasses make a 
better meadow or pasture than those men¬ 
tioned above? 
FROM PROFESSOR G. E. MORROW. 
True, clover does not always endure the win¬ 
ter when started so late, but I think the cor¬ 
respondent need have little fear of failure 
from the plan proposed. I should expect most 
grasses to succeed under such circum¬ 
stances, and that a good yield of hay could be 
cut the next season; though 1 should not like 
to oasture it until late, provided at least, I ex¬ 
pected to make a meadow of it, as pasturing 
is severe on young plants not fully established. 
1 would be understood as giving this as my 
belief in the matter; I may not be correct. 
Our excellent authority on grasses, Dr. Beal, 
gives it as his opinion that it would be likely 
to succeed. There is little doubt about the 
clover, and less about the Timothy. I believe 
the correspondent will be warranted in giving 
it a careful trial on a moderate scale. 
FROM PROF. W. C. LATTA. 
With such a season as we have had for two 
years, one would probably fail to - get a 
“catch” of clover in the corn. When the 
weather in July, August and September, is so 
dry as to kill out the spring sowing of grass, 
it seems to me that there is small chance for a 
catch late in June or early in July. Grass 
(clover) has been sown in this way, however, 
and with success in some cases. If pasture is 
wanted (and I judge it is, for the corn ground 
would make a very uneven meadow;. 1 would 
all. I have sown land in this way and had 
good grass following, but never good enough 
for pasture or mowing the first year. The 
time is wholly too late for clover, as the 
growth is slow and it is not sufficiently strong 
to withstand the winter. I have sown rye on 
the land before the last working, and a com¬ 
mon cultivator or Planet Junior horse-hoe fol¬ 
lowing will cover the seed perfectly. Imme¬ 
diately after the cultivator Timothy or 
Orchard grass is sown. I prefer the lattir 
tor pasture, as it comes much earlier tbau the 
Timothy. I have used a small V-sbaped, 
sloping-tooth harrow for this work,which has 
done very well on land that is mellow and 
clean. The clover seed is sown in the spring, 
taking advantage of a time when the ground 
is cracked and opened by a frost. 
The “protection” of the corn is not such as 
will help the growth of grass and clover under 
any circumstances, as the shade is too dense, 
and this practice is only justifiable as a make¬ 
shift to get something out of the land, when a 
regular rotation cannot be followed. I have 
a large field now in grass and clover sown in 
this way on corn the year before last. Rye 
was sown in July and Timothy immediately 
afterwards. Pea-vine or Perennial clover was 
sown in March of last year. I got about 10 
bushels of rye per acre and a large quantity 
of straw, and the grass and clover made an 
excellent catch promising a good crop the 
present year but for the very dry weather 
and cold northwest winds. My principal pur¬ 
pose is finally to plow in the clover to improve 
the land after getting a crop of hay this year, 
and some fall pasture if It should be needed 
Under fuch eircums'ances as this, where 
the land needs this kind of help, and manure 
is not available, I consider lhis a legitimate 
practice, on the principle of “half a loaf is 
better than no bread;” but I would not do it 
or recommend it under other circumstances, 
believing, and I may justly say knowing,that 
if the land is well prepared for oats and after 
the oats are sown, the grass and clover seed 
are harrowed in with a light sloping-tooth 
harrow, or even covered by the use of a plank 
smoothing drag, dry weather will not mater¬ 
ially injure the seeding, although it may be 
quite sufficient to destroy surface-sown seed 
without any covering by the harrow. For 
several years past 1 have not missed a grass or 
clover seeding made in this way. 
Macon County, N. C. 
FROM. S. B. HOEFGEN. 
In a talk with a neighboring farmer on the 
above queries, he said he had no doubt that 
the crop would do well. He had known of 
clover being sown in corn at the last plowing 
that did well, and Timothy no doubt would 
do equally well, because we sometimes let the 
Timothy get ripe to get a better stand on a 
meadow that is too thin, and we generally 
have a thick-set meadow the next year. He 
said the reason why we do so little grass seeding 
in corn, is because we generally prefer to put 
wheat in the corn and sow the clover on the 
wheat the following spring. Another farmer 
told me he bad sown clover three times in 
corn and it did well each time. His reason 
for sowing in the corn was that the ground 
was too full of stumps to sow to wheat. He 
seeded as fast as he plowed, but 1 would pre¬ 
fer to follow after seeding the clover with a 
light harrow or drag, because when I sow 
turnips in corn and harrow in the seed L gin- 
f rally su ceed in getting a good stand. 
If I douot hdrrow I fail, unless a heavy 
rain follows immediately alter seeding aud 
there are several days of damp and rainy or 
cloudy weather. As to making acrop the fol¬ 
lowing year, there can hardly be a question. 
I think the Rural has published statements 
from correspondents who have recommended 
the sowing of Timothy alone in the fall, be¬ 
cause it would give a full crop of grass the 
following year. 
Crawfordsville, Ind. 
FROM C. S. PAINE. 
I have no hesitation in saying that this plain 
will pay. I stocked a number of apres last 
jear, sowing the Timothy and cloyer uiixed^ 
going through eveiy row. The grass is now 
in a splendid condition; a good, swath might 
be cut, and I shall get two crops of from three- 
to four tons to the acre. The clover will nor. 
winter-kill in this climate as a general thing,, 
even if sown as late as August 1, and ihe- 
Timothy is sure to come out right in the- 
spring if sown later. Last year I sowed a mix¬ 
ture of four kinds,viz. Red-top,ordinary clov. r, 
Alsike and Mammoth clover, and all kinds 
are doing well. Care should be taken to have 
the land as level as possible. A mowing ma¬ 
chine will cut the old corn stubble without 
any trouble, A very dry season at the time 
of sowing the seed and a long-continued 
drought may cause a failure on dry land, but 
I have not failed on that account and I have 
practiced that plan for 15 years or more, and 
many of my neighbors practice it, all with 
good results. It is often the case that where 
the corn stands in stooks on the ground for a 
long time, the grass will be smottered out 
where the stooks stand. The new grass in the 
fall will present a beautiful green appearance 
after the corn is removed. 
South Randolph, Vermont. 
FROM T. B. TERRY. 
If there were plenty of rain the Timothy 
and clover might both do well, in this laiitude; 
but if the.e were no", the clover would prob-. 
ably not make growth enough 1o s.and the. 
winter, although the Timothy might ccme on, 
in the fall aud do well. Then there would be, 
the objection of pretty rough ground for mo* -- 
iug the next year. Taking it all togeth- r, I. 
would not favor the plan. Spring-sown, 
clover is never killed by drought here, if 
sown early enough. At least I have sowui 
very early for 20 years and never once failed). 
Seed sown in April frequently fails. It mustt 
be sown early enough to get a good s art Ur- 
fore the spring moisture is gone. Timothy 
seed sown about the first of September rarely 
fails here, it the work is properly cioae. I 
sow mine in the spring with the clover, how¬ 
ever, as otherwise the clover would be sown 
on a Timothy sod, and stand but little chance. 
Thousands of bushels of clover seed are wast^ 
ed in this way; but still it is the general prae^ 
tice here to sow Timothy with wheat in the 
fall, and the clover in the spring on the 
ground already occupied with wheat and Tim¬ 
othy. Then the farmers wonder why they 
do not get more clovtr. What ohance do 
they give it? 
The writer plowed under a quar:er of an 
acre of strawberry bed last yiar iu July, in 
August I sowed Timothy and clover seed, 
during a wet spell. Both came up and g> ew 
finely; but this spring it was a very heavy 
Timothy sod, and not many clover plauts 
were to be seen. Although there are excep¬ 
tions, I think the rule is that spring is the 
best time to sow clover seed, and fall the best 
time to sow Timothy, that is, as far as the 
good of the Timothy ilsell is concerned. 
With me clover must have the best chance it 
can. Clover we must have aud what little 
Timothy we can get iu with it is all right. 
The latter being the more fe?ble grower, in 
its infancy, the clover if given an even s art 
will take the lead and keep it, letting the 
Timothy have full sway only in spo s wberfr 
for some reason clover does not thrive well. 
Summit County, Ohio. 
BUCKWHEAT. 
Buckwheat is a crop most in favor in re¬ 
gions where the soil Is light, the country hilly, 
and the climate cool, without too early frosts. 
On soils that are too rich, there is usally such 
a rank growth of straw that the crcp falls 
down before it is ripe, and df es not fill well, 
sometimes not yielding any grain at all. It 
naturally belongs to the cooler and rougher re¬ 
gions with hill-sides ai d thin soils; it does not 
follow, however, that it cannot be profl ably 
The plan of sowing Timothy and clover in 
corn ground at the time of the last cul¬ 
tivation in Julv, the land being chan and iu 
good condition, would probably give fairly 
satisfactory results. This is about the time 
at which Nature sows Timothy seed—clover 
seed a little later. There are objections to 
the plan, however. I would prefer cutting 
the corn early and sowing the land to rye, 
sowing the Timothy seed at the same time, 
putting on the clover seed In late winter 
or very early spring, rolling the .land in the 
spring. I decidedly prefer rye for this pur¬ 
pose to wheat or oats. With a fairly favor¬ 
able fall and spring, the rye gives, 
much good pasture and also a fair yield of 
grain. The plants sufficiently shade the 
ground without “ smothering ” the young 
grass or clover. The crop is cut before the 
hottest season, and is usually cut high enough 
so that the stubbles afford some protection to 
the grass. If one could be sure of a favorable 
autumn, I believe it would be safe to sow 
clover seed by September 1; but in case of 
dry weather preventing prompt germination, 
the young plants would probably be winter- 
killed. 
University of Illinois.' 
FROM J. C. STRIBLING. 
The best catch of clover and Blue grass 1 
remember was sown on top of land after sow¬ 
ing cow-peas in August. The peas grew off 
rapidly,shading the ground well,and the Sep¬ 
tember rains brought up a fine stand of clover 
and Blue grass, which looked rathev “leggy'’ 
and feeble from the shading of the crop of 
pea-vines until frost came in October.at which 
time the young pea-vines were all killed and 
laid fiat, thus making the best possible mulch 
—evenly distributed—which gave good pro¬ 
tection to clover and gras3 during winter and 
served to shade the land and retain moisture 
the following spring and summer. The decoc¬ 
tion brought out by the raiDS tailing on the 
tender, frosted pea-vines, seemed to act like a 
charm on the young clover and grass which 
changed trom pale green to dark green and 
from a feeble to a vigorous growth. I have 
not tried Timothy or clover sown among 
growing corn, but I see no reason why either 
would not do as well as wheat or oats sown in 
the same way. Oats are largely sown here 
among growing cotton in July and August. 
Pendleton, S. C. 
FROM E. DAVENPORT. 
Although I have never practiced this plan 
I should expect it to succeed. The Tim¬ 
othy certainly would thrive and the clover 
would be altogether likely to do so. With us 
both are occasionally sown with wheat, and 
Timothy is usually started in that way. 
»•.l' • . ‘ w •' ‘•' •- , * * i-*7 •»’ r •(' • ** ' • 
— ..... , 
PAIR OF CAPE TOWN OSTRICHES. Fig 159. 
sow" clover' and Orchard grass rather than 
Timothy and clover. With favorable weather 
in July and August the seeding would doubt¬ 
less do well. Much would depend on these 
two months I think. As to the ability to 
stand the winter, I would say this is of 
secondary importance. If land is “ heavy ” 
(disposed to heave) and the winter unfavor¬ 
able, either spring or summer-sown clover 
would be seriously damaged. With favorable 
weather in summer (which we can’t certainly 
count od) the summer seeding would stand a 
good chance to get through the winter. 
Purdue University, Ind. 
FROM PROFESSOR H. H. WING. 
It does not seem to me that it would be ad¬ 
visable to sow the seed in the corn if the land 
were intended to ne used as a meadow, be¬ 
cause of the rough condition in which the 
land is left after corn. But for land interded 
for pasture I can see no objections, under ihe 
conditions named, to sowing Timothy and 
clover in the corn at the time of the last work¬ 
ing. Care should be taken to time the seed¬ 
ing after a light rain or when the soil is other¬ 
wise moist so that germination may be early 
and vigorous. Clover seed so sown should 
make sufficient growth to carry it nicely 
through the winter and furnish a fair crop 
the next year. I should recommend six 
pounds of Timothy, four pounds of Medium 
clover, one pound of Large clover, and one 
pound of Alsike per acre. 
Cornell University, Ithaca, N. Y. 
FROM HENRY STEWART. 
The practice of sowing grass seed in corn 
ground is a bad one unless the conditions are 
such that it iB better than having no grass at 
