1897 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
451 
Black or Clay variety ; it would not take long 1 to make 
a first-class job. During the month of October, or 
when the frost had killed the vines, with a rolling 
coulter and chain on the plow, I should turn under 
the peas and with roller heavily loaded, firm the sur¬ 
face and fit it for rye. If I could see the way clear, I 
should apply at the time of sowing, 100 pounds 
muriate of potash and 300 pounds ground tankage 
per acre, plant to corn in the spring and seed to 
clover, not less than a peck of seed to the acre before 
the corn gets too high. Right here is where your 
correspondent would be benefited by the perusal of 
Bulletin No. 34 of the Missouri Station, regarding the 
value of clover and cow peas as soil renovators, the 
substance of which is (so far as the present article is 
concerned), that cow peas sown on wheat ground, 
harvested July 1, 1 % ton of field-cured hay, and the 
ground was sown to wheat September 20. 
Pennsylvania. m. gabrahan. 
Use the Timothy Sod. 
If that 20-acre field is of ordinary fertility and cov¬ 
ered with a fair sod, I would not plow it for corn 
until next spring, as I think the growth of Timothy 
after mowing would be just as valuable as any crop 
of rye that could be grown. But if the soil is deficient 
in humus, perhaps it would pay to plow after mowing 
and sow to rye and Crimson clover as early as July 15 
or August 1. I have plowed under rye for corn, pota¬ 
toes and strawberries for about five years on small 
plots of one-half acre or more, and never could see 
any benefit except in loosening the soil some and 
adding humus. Last season, about May 25, I 
plowed under two acres of Crimson 
clover for corn, which showed most 
decidedly in the corn crop. The piece 
was three-cornered, and in sowing the 
clover seed, the fall before, I sowed 
around the piece with the seeder, and 
not having clover seed enough, I finished 
the piece by sowing one-eighth acre in 
the center, to winter wheat alone. When 
plowed for corn last May, the wheat on 
this plot in the center was very rank 
and in head. There was a great differ¬ 
ence in the growth of the corn all sum¬ 
mer in favor of the clover, and at husk¬ 
ing, the shocks on the clover sod averaged 
1% bushel of ears, while on the wheat 
sod, the shocks averaged 1% bushel of 
ears, 36 hills to the shock in each case. 
The variety of corn was Dibble’s Mam¬ 
moth Yellow Flint. The soil is a sandy 
loam. The same piece was sown to 
Crimson clover at the last cultivation of 
the corn in July, 1896, which has come 
through the winter in fine shape ; a nicer 
stand would be hard to find. It is a suc¬ 
cess with me, thanks to The R. N.-Y. 
I also sowed a small plot to rye and 
Crimson clover, which came through the 
winter all right. I sowed at the rate of Vi bushel 
rye and 10 quarts clover seed per acre. J. E. p. 
Hornellsville, N. Y. 
Crimson Clover Will Do. 
I would plow as soon after mowing as possible, 
harrow well, and sow 15 or 20 pounds of Crimson 
clover seed per acre as soon as the soil becomes in 
good condition for the seed to grow. It is probable 
that, even though the clover should winterkill, it 
will make sufficient growth this fall to be of more 
value than a crop of rye, which would not make here 
a very large growth by May 1. Medium clover sown 
here in the spring with oats, made a more rapid 
growth the following spring than did Crimson clover 
that survived the winter. If Medium clover will suc¬ 
ceed as well sown in midsummer as the Crimson, it 
is far more desirable here, as it will endure the win¬ 
ter if a thick stand be secured, either of clover alone 
or of Timothy and clover. I shall try the experiment 
of sowing Medium clover and Timothy (which is more 
desirable than oats, as it will not make a more rapid 
growth than the clover) after strawberries. If it will 
make as good a growth as I hope, it will solve the 
humus problem for me. I would suggest that your 
correspondent give it a trial in a small way. 
Bradford County, Pa. g. a. parcell. 
All things being equal, I would sow Crimson clover 
about August 1, being careful to have my land thor¬ 
oughly prepared. On poor land about eight miles 
north of Pittsburg, it has never failed to give a good 
stand. I would be particular to get fresh American 
seed. b. F. SHANNON. 
Allegheny County, Pa. 
A Nitrogen Gatherer Wanted. 
If the field in question that has produced Timothy 
for a number of years is to be planted to corn, the 
chances are that best results will be obtained by the 
addition of nitrogen in some form to this land. It is 
well understood that the grasses, including cereals, 
are all nitrogen consumers ; they have to make use 
of large amounts of this element in building up their 
structure, and they do not have the power of using 
through the agency of bacteria the free nitrogen of 
the atmosphere as do the plants of the leguminosae 
or clover family. If this be true, then it is clear that 
rye would not be the best crop to follow Timothy to 
prepare the land for corn. Some leguminous crop 
should be grown instead. If the soil and climate will 
warrant the use of Crimson clover for this purpose, 
perhaps no better crop than it can be grown. On the 
other hand, if Crimson clover, by repeated trials, has 
proved to be too uncertain, then some of the fall 
vetches should be used instead. Crimson clover has 
not proved satisfactory over the greater portion of 
central and northern Pennsylvania. If it is known 
that this clover can be grown with a fair degree of 
certainty, the land should be plowed and thoroughly 
fitted immediately after harvesting the hay crop of 
the previous season. Sow to Crimson clover some 
time during the month of August. This should give 
an excellent crop to plow down late in the following 
April. Unless it is known through previous trials 
that Crimson clover is likely to succeed, the vetches 
should be sown as early as the land can be well pre¬ 
pared after removing the hay crop. o. c. watson. 
Pennsylvania Experiment Station. 
SECURING THE CRIMSON CLOVER SEED CROP 
On page 402, Mr. E. G. Packard, of Delaware, told 
us how the farmers in his State proceed to harvest 
the seed crop of Crimson clover. This week, on our 
first page, we are able to show some pictures which 
will make it clearer than ever just how this work is 
done. Mr. Packard tells us that, this year, the cut¬ 
ting of the seed was done on June 10 and 11, and with 
favorable weather for cutting, they were able to hull 
it out in fine order on June 15. The yield this season 
averaged about eight bushels of seed per acre. In 
hulling, the best record was 40 bushels in 7% hours, 
using the Matchless huller. The Crimson clover seed 
is large, and unless care is taken with the ordinary 
clover huller, a portion of the seed will be ruined by 
splitting and crushing. 
As shown in the picture, the clover is cut with a 
self-rake reaper. With the rake set so as to drop a 
gavel every second rake, this makes small bunches 
which cure nicely in favorable weather, and in this 
way, less seed is wasted by shattering. Bright, 
pleasant weather is necessary in order to secure the 
seed in the best condition. Rain or wet muggy 
weather continued for any length of time, will be 
very sure to ruin the seed. This is one reason why 
farmers in the North have become dissatisfied with 
Crimson clover. They expected to use it for hay or 
seed just as they would the Red clover, forgetting 
that its season comes early in the year, and at a time 
when more or less bad weather is always to be ex¬ 
pected. 
We become more and more certain each year that 
the proper use for Crimson clover on the farm, is as 
pasture or green manure. We believe that most of 
those who attempt to use it for a hay crop, will be 
dissatisfied in the end. The field shown in the picture 
will be followed with Early Black cow peas. To 
show how things are done in Delaware, it may be 
stated that the hulling of the seed was finished on 
June 15. On the evening of June 19, the clover 
ground was all plowed, harrowed, smoothed and 
planted to cow peas. It is necessary to move lively 
with such crops in order to get them in at the right 
time, and a crop like cow peas makes its heavy 
growth in hot weather. No time must be lost in put¬ 
ting it into the ground if any large growth of vine is 
to be expected. 
SHRINKAGE OF WHEAT. 
SHAM, WE SELL RIGHT FROM THE THRASHER? 
THE QUESTION. 
What is the gain in selling new wheat from the thrasher at 75 
cents, over keeping it four months and selling at 80 cents ? In 
other words, what is the ordinary shrinkage in wheat when kept 
under ordinary conditions ? 
THE ANSWERS. 
When to Sell From the Stack. 
The first question involves more than ordinary 
shrinkage. I have measured wheat at the time of 
thrashing, and again after it had been stored in the 
granary several months, but find that it is very diffi¬ 
cult to arrive at a satisfactory answer. The problem 
involves several factors, such as the degree of dryness 
of the grain, tightness of the granary, the number of 
rats, mice and fowls that find access, and so on. If 
grain be abnormally dry when it is thrashed, and be 
held until spring without any loss from rats, mice, 
fowls and thieves, there will be little or no loss of 
weight. There may be a gain. If the wheat be taken 
out during a thaw, when the air is warmer than the 
wheat in the granary, every grain collects a little 
dampness, and by the time it has been sacked and 
hauled to the scales, the increase in weight may be 
considerable. Prof. Brewer several years ago re¬ 
ported for the government the atmospheric influences 
on wheat from the time it left the thrasher 
.to the time it went into the hold of the 
vessel. This report shows the condensa¬ 
tion on the grain as it runs ice cold from 
an elevator, of a warm day on the lake or 
ocean coast, to be several per cent. The 
increase in weight of a car-load of new 
wheat from the ranch in California to the 
port in San Francisco, was enough more 
than to pay the freight. This factor of 
condensation will vary so much between 
the time of thrashing in August and 
selling in the spring, that the farmer 
needs more accurate means of measuring 
and weighing for making the test. 
When the granary is so tight as to pro¬ 
tect against any loss by vermin or thieves, 
it is safe to count on taking out as many 
pounds in February or March as we put 
in in August or September. The factor, 
however, that has concerned me more is 
the labor. I have sold from the thrasher, 
hauling direct to the elevator, and have 
stored it in the granary and for a short 
time on the barn floor, when I could not 
get teams enough to haul to the eleva¬ 
tor as fast as it was thrashed. Keeping 
an accurate account of the cost of the two 
methods, I have concluded that there is a saving in 
labor of five cents a bushel by hauling at once to the 
elevator. If it should happen that the wind, rats, 
fowls, or men from neglect, caused the grain to get so 
dirty in bulk as to need cleaning with a fanning-mill, 
then the cost is increased one or two cents. Unless 
one is sure of more than five cents advance, it is 
better to haul the grain to market as it comes from 
the thrasher, when we thrash from the shock or 
stack. If the grain is thrashed in the barn, the labor 
of sacking, loading and hauling the thrashed grain 
from stack or field is saved, and there is less gained 
by hauling direct from the machine to market. 
Ohio. L. N- BONHAM. 
Estimate of an Iowa Grain Dealer. 
We have not conducted any experiments in that 
line at this station, but Mr. P. L. Fowler, local man¬ 
ager for the B. A. Lockwood Grain Co. at this place, 
informs me that they estimate, under ordinary con¬ 
ditions, 75 cents per bushel for wheat from the thrasher 
soon after harvest, equivalent to 90 cents per bushel 
three or four months afterwards. He also states that 
the shrinkage varies largely in different localities, 
and that in California and other places where the at¬ 
mosphere is drier during the summer months, the 
shrinkage is very much lighter. He is of the opinion 
that the shrinkage in Ohio would be similar to that 
in this State. c. f. curtiss. 
Iowa Experiment Station. 
Shrmkaqe of Wheat in the Granary. 
The following experiment made by Mr. J. Fremont 
Hickman, of the Ohio Experiment Station, gives the 
only definite data concerning the shrinkage of wheat 
which I have seen : Twenty samples of wheat from 
as many different varieties were put in small boxes, 
the bottoms of which were covered with window 
screen wire and the tops with glass. These boxes 
filled with wheat, were buried in a bin of wheat, 
THE PET AND THE PETS. Fig. 193. 
