Vol. LVI. No. 2471. 
NEW YORK, JUNE 5, 1897. 
*1.00 PER YEAR. 
RECENT CRIMSON CLOVER EXPERIENCE 
AT THE NEW JERSEY EXPERIMENT STATION. 
Different Methods of Seeding. 
In the summer of 1896, a number of experiments 
were begun in continuation of our studies of Crimson 
clover. The chief objects in these experiments were 
to study, first, the influence of, and method of, seed¬ 
ing upon the catch and growth of the crop, and, 
second, the relative advantages of the crop secured as 
a green manure and as forage, both when seeded as 
catch crops in corn and upon raw ground. 
The entire area included in the experiments 
was 18 acres. The first seeding was in corn 
on July 9, which at the time was nearly five 
feet high; no cultivation followed the seed¬ 
ing. The second seeding was made July 12 
on raw ground harrowed and rolled; the 
third, in corn July 13, and cultivated in ; the 
fourth, July 15, immediately after cultiva' 
tion without covering; the fifth, in corn 
July 17, immediately after cultivation, and 
then covered with Breed’s weeder ; the sixth, 
July 27, on land well manured and thoroughly 
prepared, the seed harrowed in and then 
rolled (see Fig. 160); the seventh, in August 
on well-prepared raw ground, and harrowed 
in without rolling. The eighth was seeded 
with rye August 27, for use as a forage crop. 
With the exception of experiment one, a 
full stand was secured, and at the be¬ 
ginning of winter, but little, if any, dif¬ 
ferences could be observed in the growth 
upon the different plots. With the excep¬ 
tion of plot 6, consisting of one acre, there 
was hardly a loss of a plant during the 
winter and spring. The spring has been 
favorable, and on May 5, all of the seedings 
averaged about 16 inches in height ; a repre¬ 
sentative stool is shown at Fig. 159. On plot 
6, small patches throughout the acre were 
found to be dead in the spring. At first, this 
loss was thought to be due to the character 
of the soil—heavy clay with impervious clay 
subsoil—but inasmuch as the plants continued 
dying around the spots that were dead, a 
further observation was made which revealed 
the presence of genuine clover sickness. 
This, by the way, may be the true cause of 
the frequent loss of this crop in March and 
April, rather than lack of hardiness, to which 
it has been attributed. 
Fig. 161 shows the growth on a 15-acre field 
on May 5, when it was being plowed under as 
a green manure for corn. The land of this 
field is a rather heavy clay, and was lightly 
manured in the spring of 1896, and then fer¬ 
tilized with about 200 pounds per acre of an 
even mixture of bone and potash. Corn was 
planted, which yielded at the rate of 12 tons 
of fodder per acre, an equivalent of three 
tons of dry matter. 
In our experiments in 1894, it was shown 
that a crop 14 inches high would, if a full 
stand, furnish nearly 2% tons of dry matter 
containing 168 pounds of nitrogen. The crop 
this year, now being used as green manure, is fully 
equal in amount of organic matter and fertilizing 
material to that reported at that time. It, therefore, 
contains organic matter and nitrogen equivalent to 
that contained in about 15 tons of average yard 
manure. The very great value of the crop for this 
purpose is then abundantly apparent, since the entire 
cost of seed and seeding was less than $1.50 per acre, 
the seed alone costing 80 cents. 
The seeding of clover with rye has also proved to 
be a singular success, though in a line somewhat dif¬ 
ferent than was anticipated at the time of seeding. 
The hope was that, by an early cutting of rye, the 
clover would make a second growth, and thus give us 
two crops from the same land in the month of May. 
The clover, however, seems to have matured more 
rapidly in the rye, and the result is that we are secur¬ 
ing a very considerable increase in our forage from 
the first cutting. Fig. 162 shows very distinctly the 
thickness and height of the clover. That the palata- 
bility of the forage is improved is shown by the fact 
that the animals pick out all of the clover before eat¬ 
ing the rye. The clover also improves the food value, 
because richer in nitrogenous matter. The two acres 
seeded for forage, one in corn and one in raw ground, 
will be ready to cut as soon as the rye is too hard, 
thus furnishing a crop before others now growing— 
wheat and Red clover—are sufficiently matured. 
It was shown in our experiments in 1894, see Bul¬ 
letin No. 100, that an acre of clover would furnish suf¬ 
ficient food for 20 cows for 10 days, if used as the 
entire ration. The very great value of the crop from 
this standpoint is also apparent, and it seems to me 
that, in the dairy regions where crops can be secured, 
efforts should be made to grow this crop. Many 
farmers complain that they cannot get a catch. It 
has been our experience that, when properly seeded, 
a crop will be secured whenever there is sufficient 
moisture to insure a catch and a reasonable growth 
in the fall. The last season was exceptionally favor¬ 
able, to be sure, so much so that our experiments 
were failures in the sense that they did not indicate 
any best time or method of seeding. Even if a miss 
be made as often as every other year, the value of a 
good crop will more than repay the losses in¬ 
volved in two or three years of failures. A 
loss of three crops would not mean more than 
$5 of actual outlay for seed and labor, while 
a crop is worth, as a green manure, from $10 
to $15 per acre, particularly in sections where 
manure is not available, or only available at 
the prevailing prices, viz.: $1.50 to $2 per ton. 
As forage, it is fully equal, ton for ton, to a 
crop of rye, besides the added value due to 
its character as a catch crop that does not in¬ 
terfere with regular rotations for dairy farms. 
Where it has been seeded in corn, naturally 
a large portion will remain upon the soil, be¬ 
cause it is impossible to cut close, but where 
seeded on raw ground, yields frequently reach 
six and eight tons per acre. e. b. voorhees. 
New Jersey Experiment Station. 
The Crop in Delaware. 
There is no part of the country better 
suited to growing Crimson clover than the 
peninsula embracing Delaware and the east¬ 
ern shore of Maryland. In former years, we 
have spoken of the great possibilities of this 
plant. This year, however, there seems to be 
less of it growing than before. On May 14,1 
found acres of it growing on the farms of E. 
H. Bancroft and S. H. Derby, south of Dover, 
but there was little to be found on other 
farms in the neighborhood. It appears that 
last season was so dry that the first seeding in 
July failed to start. Most farmers gave up at 
this failure, and did not attempt to sow again. 
Mr. Bancroft seeded some fields three times 
before he secured a stand, but he kept at it 
until the seed started and, as a result, he has 
his fields well covered, and enough of the 
clover to fill the silo and plow under on fields 
that need the green manure. 
This experience shows that Delaware farm¬ 
ers should stay by Crimson clover, even 
though the first seedings do fail. We all 
know how hard farmers will work to obtain 
a catch of Red clover. They are not dis¬ 
couraged at one failure, but keep at it, year 
after year, trying new methods and seasons, 
because they recognize the value of the Red 
clover. On many of these Delaware farms, the 
Crimson is more valuable than the Red, be¬ 
cause it makes less of a break in the rotation, 
and does not interfere with any other crop. 
It seems strange, therefore, that farmers 
should give up at the first failure. Messrs. 
Bancroft and Derby have shown that the 
Crimson can be sown even as late as September, and 
furnish a paying crop. 
The more I see of this Crimson clover, the more I 
think that it will prove most useful for green manure 
or spring pasture. Mr. Bancroft uses large quantities 
of it in the silo. At the time of my visit to his farm, 
the clover was being cut for ensilage, which is to be 
fed out during the summer. Most of those who try 
to cut the clover for hay will, however, be disap¬ 
pointed for, at the time it is ready to cut, we have our 
poorest haying weather, and have most to do with 
SINGLE STOOL OF CRIMSONcCLOVER MAY 5. Fig. 159. 
