VoL. LX. No. 2680. 
NEW YORK, JUNE 8, 1901. 
$1 PER YEAR. 
COW HORN TURNIPS AND CRIMSON CLOVER 
HOW THEY' ABE USED AS GREEN MANURE. 
Farm Pracfica of a Pennsylvania Farmer. 
On page 286, Chas. Johnson gave a brief report of an 
address delivered at a Pennsylvania farmers’ institute 
by R. S. Seeds. This has called out so much Inquiry 
from our readers that Mr. Johnson has prepared the 
following fuller report of the lecture. The result with 
oats during an exceptionally dry season is worth noting: 
HARD SOIL, NO MANURE.—“The value of fertil¬ 
ity and the cheapest w'ay to get it.” Under this title, 
Mr. Seeds, a practical farmer living in the .Juniata 
Valley, discussed, before the Monroe Co., Pa., Farm¬ 
ers’ Institute, the method by which he had succeeded 
in restoring a “rundown” farm. The farm on which 
Mr. Seeds commenced operations seven years ago had 
been managed in the usual W’ay for presumably 50 
years. It was then rented for a number of years, 
until no one could be found to rent It. Then the prac¬ 
tice of working it on shares had been tried until about 
14 years ago, when it passed into the hands of the 
mortgagees. From this time until sold to Mr. Seeds 
the place had been practically abandoned. The soil 
is a strong clay loam, and seven years ago fell with 
a dead thud immediately after leaving 
the plow. At that time four inches was 
as deep a furrow as could be turned, and 
that only with difficulty. The experi¬ 
ment of hauling stable manure from the 
neighboring town was tried, but found 
too expensive, necessitating an outlay of 
from $20 to $25 per acre. A little com¬ 
putation soon showed liming to be im¬ 
practicable for the same reason. Since 
no money could be spared for manure or 
fertilizers, some other means had to be 
devised to make this hard, compact soil 
productive in any degree. 
DEEP-ROOTED GREEN CROPS.— 
The most natural solution of the prob¬ 
lem appeared to be green manuring. 
Literature on the subject was collected, 
and plans formed for the season’s work. 
The first crop used for this purpose was 
Crimson clover. This experiment proved 
unsatisfactory. Several reasons were 
given why a good stand of clover was 
not obtained, viz., failure to cultivate 
the seed in, the use of southern-grown 
seed, and the uncongenial condition of 
the seed bed. Then, too, Crimson clover 
was objectionable b*ause of the long 
season necessary for it to reach matur¬ 
ity, thus delaying the use of the land in 
early Spring. Furthermore, it grows 
“on top of the ground,” and consequently does not 
loosen up the subsoil as much as seemed desirable 
in this case. A plant with a long root that would 
mature in the Fall, was sought for but not discovered 
in time for use the following season. To supply the 
need the second season, the Purple-top Strap-leaved 
turnip was used. The objection to this was that it 
also grows “on top of the ground.” The objection 
so often heard against the use of this class of cover 
crops, that they take moisture from the soil when it is 
needed to mature other crops, Mr. Seeds does not re¬ 
gard as warranted, since the ground, where shaded 
by the turnips, showed more moisture on the surface 
than could be found elsewhere, while the corn ma¬ 
tured a heavy crop of both ears and stalks. It was 
not until the third season that the Cowhorn turnip 
was used. The first lot of seed was obtained from 
a western seedsman, but most of the leading seed 
merchants now catalogue this variety. This plant 
possesses most of the qualities desired. Photographs 
taken of specimens in the field, both in the ground 
and out of the ground, show it to be a rank grower 
and deep rooter. Mr. Seeds assured his audience that 
individual specimens measuring nearly four feet were 
found, while a length of two feet four inches was 
quite common. In order to dispel any doubts in the 
minds of the incredulous, Mr. Seeds added, that he 
always meant “tops and all.” Fully one-half of the 
growth, as shown by the photographs, was below the 
surface of the ground. These crops are grown in the 
cornfield and left there after the corn is taken off. 
No attempt is made to harvest them or to use them 
for any other purpose than soil improvement. 
RESULT IN OATS.—Among the photographs ex¬ 
hibited at this meeting was one of a field of oats. 
This field had attracted attention during the earlier 
part of the season, because of its peculiar dappled 
appearance. “To the casual observer it was evident,” 
says Mr. Seeds, “that the dark spots were by no 
means accidental, because they occurred at regular 
intervals, and were of practically the same size.” An 
examination showed that the spots occurred just 
where the corn shocks had stood. It had been no¬ 
ticed in the Fall that where the corn shocks had 
stood the growth of the turnips had been checked, and 
in many instances decay had set in, while the sur¬ 
rounding plants continued to grow for a month after 
Both kinds are sown at the last cultivation of the 
corn, and cost no extra labor except that necessary 
to sow the seed. Among the plants he will try this 
season are the Sand vetch and cow pea. The crops 
of Cowhorn turnips are turned under in the Fall, 
when possible, in order to aid decomposition and 
render them more available for succeeding crops. The 
Crimson clover is turned under any time after it has 
made a fair amount of growth. By this means Mr. 
Seeds estimates, from analyses given by the New Jer¬ 
sey Experiment Station, that he is plowing under 
about $50 worth of fertility in the shape of potash, 
nitrogen, etc., costing in the year 1900 only 54 cents 
per acre to raise. In addition to this, his soil has be¬ 
come lighter, works easier, holds moisture better, is 
cooler in Summer, warmer in Winter and can be 
worked earlier in the Spring. 
As evidence that his improvements are genuine, 
Mr. Seeds made the statement that the valuation of 
his farm had been increased $25 per acre in three 
years. He now experiences little difficulty in hand¬ 
ling the ordinary farm crops, and is satisfied with 
the results obtained. 
CARING FOR MANURE.—At a later session of the 
institute Mr. Seeds explained his 
method of caring for his barnyard ma¬ 
nure and disposing of it. The barnyard 
has been made practically a part of the 
barn by putting a roof over it and wall¬ 
ing up the sides. Windows are provided 
to admit light. The center is hollowed 
out and puddled with clay. All drain¬ 
age from the stables is saved, and the 
manure is hauled out in Winter on the 
grass, from which hay is to be cut the 
following season. Mr. Seeds dislikes 
the practice of hauling manure out on 
corn land because it does not give re¬ 
sults until Fall. The greater portion of 
the fertilizing elements is washed out 
before the crop can make use of them 
Then, too, he claims that manure not 
thoroughly composted, when applied to 
crops other than grass, has a tendency 
to favor drying out, and thus may prove 
injurious rather than beneficial. 
CHARLES JOHNSON. 
Cape May Co., N. J. 
BURBANK PLUMS IN A POULTRY YARD. Fig. 163. See Page 406 
the corn was cut. The stronger growth of the oats 
was attributed to the greater amount of available 
plant food in the soil consequent upon the more com¬ 
plete disintegration of the vegetable matter beneath 
the corn shocks. This field of oats was the only one 
in the Juniata Valley, according to Mr. Seeds’s state¬ 
ment, that more than paid expenses in the year 1900, 
“the driest season” ever experienced in that section 
of the country. Other photographs shown did credit 
to the cultivator, whether in the Juniata Valley or 
elsewhere. Crimson clover waist-high. Red clover 
nearly waist-high, measured by Mr. Seeds as a stand¬ 
ard, and as heavy as could be desired certainly need 
no description from me. A good stand of Alfalfa has 
also been obtained after repeated trials. The mis¬ 
take made on this crop was in attempting to seed it 
the same as clover, instead of treating it as an inde¬ 
pendent crop. 
TURNIPS AND CRIMSON CLOVER.—Mr. Seeds no 
longer uses the turnips alone, but uses them in con¬ 
nection with Crimson clover, sowing one pound of 
turnip seed and one-half peck of Crimson clover seed 
per acre. When used alone he doubles these amounts. 
RENTERS AND RAIN.—We are rent¬ 
ers, and can see many dollars of hard 
work wasted on undrained places, wast¬ 
ing of feeds and liquid gold running 
from barnyard, but have been unable 
to get the owner to see it, so it con¬ 
tinues to go on, and this extra wet Spring shows 
things off, and nearly makes us discouraged. May 24 
was the storm that capped them all. Old men say it 
was the worst one of their time. Oat seeding was 
cut short 12 or 15 per cent, and much of the seed in 
is being washed out. A very little corn is planted, 
and a good many have not plowed a furrow. There 
has been considerable hail, but have not heard of all 
the damage. Many bridges were washed away, and 
some hill roads are nearly impassable. More rain 
to-night; no corn or potatoes in in May. Pastures 
are good but hay seems to stand still. As for any¬ 
thing new about milk, there is nothing, only tne new 
milch cows, and the new names going on the tally 
sheet. Milk at 60 cents per can, 40 quarts; the dealer 
skims milk and sells back to the farmer, one farmer 
getting a pound of butter per can of skim-milk, but 
a new separator is to go in in a few days. Such are 
the profits in the milk business (one-sided). w. 
Bradford Co., Pa. 
R. N.-Y.—Similar weather conditions are reported 
from so many sections that we think early crop re¬ 
ports will be subject to decided revision, especially 
as regards fruit and grain. 
