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THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
June 5 
planting and early cultivating, and these things can¬ 
not be neglected. 
The great value of the crop for most of us will be 
as green manure. It can be plowed into the ground 
to take the place of stable manure. Prof. Voorbees 
tells us, in this issue, how he uses the crop. Let us 
think what this means. At the last cultivation of the 
corn, the seed is scattered. If the conditions are 
favorable enough to obtain a “ catch”, nothing more 
need be done to the crop of clover until the next 
corn-planting season, when the whole thing is plowed 
under and fertilized with a little potash and phos¬ 
phoric acid. In other words, here is a plant that 
spreads over your corn field the equivalent of 15 tons 
of good stable manure to the acre, does it while you 
are asleep and without bothering you in the least. 
Year by year, this increases the size of 
the corn crop, and every bit of the 
manure made from the stalks and 
grain may be used to fertilize other 
fields on the farm. There are fields on 
Mr. Bancroft’s farm that have now 
been used for a number of years for 
corn and Crimson clover. The texture 
and color of the soil have perceptibly 
improved. The crops of ensilage corn 
have improved to such an extent, that 
it is now almost impossible to start the 
clover while the corn is on the ground. 
It makes such a rank and heavy growth 
that the clover can hardly be seeded on 
horseback. 
The only way to get a perfect stand 
on this ground is to wait until the corn 
has been cut off, and I will venture to 
say that the same thing will be true of 
the field mentioned by Prof. Voorhees 
if several more crops of Crimson clover 
are plowed into the soil. Ton for ton, 
green Crimson clover will give more 
corn than average stable manure. We 
are hearing from squash and melon 
growers who say that they broadcast 
Crimson seed among the vines at the 
last cultivation, and in this way ob¬ 
tain their best stands of clover. As 
a rule, when the vines are left alone 
after cultivating, the field is filled with 
weeds before frost. If Crimson clover 
can be made to take the place of the 
weeds, a double gain will be made. 
We have found Crimson clover a good 
weed-killing crop. 
Crimson clover has been called “ a 
potash crank.” It is true that this clover 
requires an abundance of potash, but 
it also requires phosphoric acid. With 
these two substances supplied, the 
clover will make its growth with but 
little nitrogen, and in this fact lies 
its great value as a soil improver. It 
will take the crude forms of potash 
and phosphoric acid and make them 
over into an organic form that will 
serve as manure for any crop. There 
are two points about this method of 
green manuring that we hope to dis¬ 
cuss during this season. We find fruit 
growers at the North who fear that 
the continued use of Crimson clover 
will furnish too much organic nitrogen 
for trees and vines. They use nitrate 
of soda in the spring when growth is 
most needed. The hot summer and 
early frosts of fall seem to be just the 
ideal condition for securing a quick, 
late growth from organic nitrogen, and 
leaving the wood soft and tender, and 
likely to be cut by the cold. Such men 
question the wisdom of growing Crim¬ 
son clover largely in the orchards. It is 
also urged that the continued use of 
large crops of the Crimson will tend to 
sour the land so that, without frequent 
liming, it will fail to respond. These are interesting 
questions, and we shall try to make them clearer as 
the time draws near for seeding the clover. 
The other crops that Mr. Bancroft finds very useful 
are Alfalfa and cow peas. From five acres of Alfalfa, 
he cut, last year, hay enough to feed all the horses 
and mules, and give one feed a day to all the cows. 
He says Alfalfa makes better hay than Red clover. 
It may be cut four to six times during the season, and 
will last 15 years, besides being able to stand the 
drought better than any other forage crop. 
Cow peas are the “poor-land crop.” They grow 
where nothing else will thrive. You may see on some 
poor fields cow peas and rye growing side by side. 
The rye, for all its “ hustling ” qualities, can scarcely 
grow one foot high, while the cow peas cover the 
ground. The cow peas are plowed under when the 
vines are dead, the soil above them is well worked 
over, and rye is sown. It will now make a strong 
growth and make a fair crop of grain, though, if sown 
where the rye grew before, the crop would still be a 
dwarf. On good soil, corn will give more stock food 
than cow peas. On poor soil, nothing can equal this 
crop. h. w. c. 
MAKING THE MOST OF CLOVER. 
TO PRODUCE CORN IN 1898. 
One of our readers in Miami County, O., puts the following 
problem to us: In the spring of 1896, he sowed 74 acres of Red 
clover, which are now looking well. Ten acres are for pig pas¬ 
ture; 28 acres are to be plowed under in August for wheat sowing 
in September, and he wishes to treat the remaining 36 acres in 
such a way that they will give him the most profitable corn crop 
in 1898. Can he take a hay crop from either of these last two 
without lessening the value of the clover to the land ? He thinks 
that, if both hay and seed crops are taken, the land is benefited 
but little. But if a hay crop is taken, cannot the plants be made 
to grow without going to seed ultimately 7 Everything raised on 
this farm except wheat, is consumed on the place. No live stock 
is pastured on these fields, except swine, and they only in rota¬ 
tion. Will you tell us from your own experience, if possible, just 
what this man would better do with the 36 acres, in order to make 
them most profitable ? 
Sell Seed, Buy Fertilizers, Says J S. Woodward. 
Your reader can take a hay crop from both the 28 
acres and the 36 acres. Of course, by mowing the 
clover before it seeds, and leaving the crop on the 
ground, unless so heavy as to smother the clover, 
much more can be put into the soil than by making 
hay of the firgt crop ; but this is expensive, for good 
land should give, at least, two tons of hay per acre, 
and he ought to know enough to feed this so as to get, 
at least §5 per ton clean money out of it, and still 
have the manure left for his farm. If he do this, it 
makes the crop worth $10 per acre, which is too much 
to pay for its manurial value. By mowing it early 
and letting the second crop grow until the middle of 
August, it ought to be knee-high to his horses, and 
can then be turned under and the land put in fine 
shape for winter wheat, and the clover will almost 
insure a good crop. 
I have, years ago, before we were cursed with the 
clover midge, often taken both a hay and seed crop 
from clover, and then sown the ground to wheat; 
but for western New York, it makes seeding pretty 
late. In Ohio, he can get the clover seed crop out of 
the way in time to sow wheat. If he 
will use one-quarter of the value of 
the seed on the land in the proper 
chemicals, it will pay him better than 
to use the second crop of clover for 
manure. From the 36 acres to be used 
for corn next year, by all means cut 
the first crop for hay. It has by far 
too great a feeding value to be sacri¬ 
ficed for the sake of its manurial value, 
and especially so when it is to be fed 
and the manure returned to the farm. 
After haying, if it be mowed once or 
twice, each time before seed is formed, 
the cut clover will form a mulch and 
stimulate the growth of clover so as to 
make the aggregate amount to be 
plowed under for corn in the spring 
much larger. As left by the mowing 
machine, it will not in any way hinder 
the growth of clover, neither will it 
rot so far as to lose any appreciable 
amount of its manurial value. Nearly 
one-half of the manurial value of the 
clover plant is in the root growth, and 
this is at its best when not allowed to 
ripen seed in the fall of the second 
year of its growth. Also, by having 
this mulch of cut clover on the ground 
the second winter, there will be much 
less danger of winter-killing, and the 
clover will come up quicker and 
stronger in the spring of 1898 to be 
plowed under for corn. 
But if in Ohio they are not troubled 
with midge so as to prevent seed grow¬ 
ing, I am sure that he can get better 
corn by taking both a hay and seed 
crop from the 36 acres, and then use 
one-half the value of the seed in pur¬ 
chasing chemicals to use on corn. Not 
only this, but by feeding the hay and 
putting the manure made back on the 
same field, during winter, it will so 
stimulate the clover to a quick growth 
in spring that, by the time to plow for 
corn, he will have a large growth to 
plow under. But no matter how rank 
the growth of clover, or how much 
manure made from it, he may plow 
under, he will put nothing into the 
soil not taken from it, except the ni¬ 
trogen taken from the air, while the 
corn, to do its best, should have plenty 
of potash and phosphoric acid to enable 
it to develop its seed. Now, by growing 
clover seed and with a part of the pro¬ 
ceeds buying these chemicals,we supply 
them to the corn. In this way, we get 
better corn and make the land grow 
better. 
On our farms, before the advent of 
the clover midge, we raised a great 
deal of seed, and were sure that, by 
investing a part of the money from its 
sale in fertilizer, we were doing a wise 
thing. But since, by reason of the 
midge, we can raise no seed, it is a de¬ 
batable question with us whether it pays better to 
plow under the second crop or to make hay of it and 
return the manure made by feeding it, with a part of 
the value invested in chemicals. I have no doubt as 
to the effects upon the land and crop ; it is only a 
question of labor and profit. 
Niagara County, N. Y. 
An Opinion by Prof. Roberts. 
A hay crop cannot be taken from “ either of these 
last two” without lessening the value of the clover to 
the land. Since about one-half of the manurial value 
of clover is in the roots, the question might be asked, 
Is there not enough benefit in the roots without 
sacrificing the tops ? On good land, I never plan to 
plow under the tops of clover. Except in extreme 
CRIMSON CLOVER SEEDED IN CORN JULY, 1896. Fig. 160. 
FIFTEEN ACRES OF CRIMSON CLOVER SEEDED IN CORN. Fig. 161. 
RYE AND CRIMSON CLOVER. PHOTOGRAPHED MAY 10. Fig. 163. 
