1000. 
THE: RURAL NEW-YORKER 
613 
WHY DID CLOVER FAIL? 
I adopt the following three-year ro¬ 
tation of crops—oats, clover (seeded in 
the oats) and corn. Last year I sowed 
my clover seed with oats as usual and 
succeeded in securing a splendid catch 
all over. But in the Fall the clover was 
very thick indeed at both ends of the 
piece, but very thin and spotty in the 
middle. The piece was level and the 
soil very uniform all through,*a light 
gravelly loam, but there was this dif¬ 
ference: the two ends of the piece had 
missed the clover seeding three years 
ago and had been cropped with corn in¬ 
stead, so had had no clover for five or 
six years, while the center had pro¬ 
duced a crop of clover hay three years 
ago. The fact that this young clover 
died out so much in the Summer, 
through the middle of the piece, while 
it grew so finely at both ends where 
there had been no clover for five or 
six years, has led me to wonder if by 
this three-year rotation of crops I am 
exhausting something in this gravelly 
soil which the clover needs. Can some 
one suggest what the cause of this may 
be and how I may supply the need? I 
expect to sow oats and clover seed on 
another piece of the same kind of grav¬ 
elly loam about the 2oth of April. 
Pennsylvania. reader. 
R. X.-Y.—We will ask the soil doc¬ 
tors and practical farmers to figure this 
out. If those strips at the end where 
corn was planted were manured each 
year that might account for it. The 
soil in that case would be full of vege¬ 
table matter and metre alkaline than 
otherwise. In our section whenever 
clover begins to fail we conclude the 
soil is getting sour and use lime. 
A BIG CROP OF SWEET CORN. 
S. •/. A., Riverton, N. J .—Please state 
the most approved method of producing 
the largest crop of sweet corn. My ground 
is good, rather a heavy loam. Is tho 
broadcasting of manure before or after 
plowing the more efficacious, or would 
about the same quantity put in the hills 
bring better results? What kind of fer¬ 
tilizer do you recommend? Which is the 
better in planting of corn, hill or rows, 
and how near should the stalks be? As 
some kinds of corn, for instance Country 
Gentleman, throw out three or four ears 
per stalk, should any of these be taken 
off, or is a stalk supposed to carry all its 
ears to maturity? Of course, the root 
suckers are taken off. 
Axs.—Commercial growers of sweet 
corn usually have fairly good soil, 
and broadcast manure be.ore plowing 
if they have a sufficient quantity to 
spare; if not they use from 400 to 800 
pounds per acre of a 2-7-5 or a 1-7-4 
mixture of fertilizer, either drilled or 
harrowed in thoroughly. Many plant¬ 
ers use a better grade of fertilizer and 
a lesser amount per acre. Prepare the 
ground well, as corn delights in a 
rather loose mellow soil. Mark out 
the rows three feet six inches to four 
feet wide, and plant in hills from two 
feet to two feet six inches apart, ac¬ 
cording to variety. Unless ground is 
very rich or well fertilized sprinkle 
about a large tablespoonful of ferti¬ 
lizer in the hill; but don’t let the ker¬ 
nels come in contact with fertilizer. 
Drop corn by hand and cover with foot 
or hoe. After planting if you have it. 
scatter a handful of well-rotted ma¬ 
nure. over the hill; -this serves as a 
mulch and is very beneficial. One 
can drill the corn in, leaving the plants 
about 12 to 14 inches apart, but hill 
culture is preferable. One can better 
cultivate and hand - hoe the corn if 
necessary. Sweet corn is more tender 
than field and requires somewhat bet¬ 
ter care. Give good clean culture, and 
if billed as is the custom here, work 
and hill your corn early before it gets 
more than 10 inches high, and after 
that cultivate shallow. If you exam¬ 
ine you will find a myriad of little 
rootlets running through the soil; 
these should not be disturbed by deep 
working. The suckers should always 
be taken off; but no sweet corn grown 
commercially will produce more than 
two ears, and seldom more than one. 
S. J. A. desires to raise a large crop 
of corn. Let him manure heavily, 
broadcast, plow thoroughly well. Use 
800 pounds of high-grade commercial 
fertilizer per acre. Mark rows three 
feet eight inches, about three inches 
deep. Plant a good large sweet corn 
about two feet nine inches apart in 
rows. Give plenty of good clean cul¬ 
ture, allowing three stalks to stand per 
hill, and he will grow if weather con¬ 
ditions are at all favorable a large crop 
of corn in his locality. Whether the 
corn will pay him or not depends on 
whether he is trying to improve his 
soil for a following crop or not. If 
not it is questionable whether sweet 
corn will pay for such high fertilizing, 
as very satisfactory yields can be ob¬ 
tained with a fair quantity of manure 
and about 400 pounds of fertilizer per 
acre. _ a. j. h. 
Value ot Basic Slag. 
Reader .—Is basic slag a good and suffi¬ 
cient fertilizer for orchards, and is it a 
good source of potash for onions, potatoes, 
and cabbage? 
Axs.—Xo, basic slag contains lime 
and phosphoric acid, but no potash or 
nitrogen; with muriate of potash and 
nitrate of soda it will do to fertilize an 
orchard. We would not advise it in po¬ 
tatoes on account of the lime. 
Farming with Small Capital. 
Student .—I am a young city man—grad¬ 
uate of the horticultural department of an 
agricultural college. Is it possible for a 
young man to start a fruit and poultry 
farm with such training as I have had, 
and with not more than $300 of ready 
money. 
Axs.—It is possible, but usually not 
wise to attempt it. You could do but 
little with that capital, even if you had 
a farm all stocked. You would not 
think of opening a store on any such 
capital. Better work a few years for 
some good farmer and get more capital 
and practical experience. 
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Paint Bills 
By using INGERSOLL PAINT—proved 
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0. W. Ingersoll, 246 Plymouth St., Brooklyn, N.Y. 
0 YOUR OWN 
THRESHING, 
HALF 
your profits from beano and peas are lost if 
you do not thresh them from the vines in such a 
way that you save the seed in a whole, clean mar¬ 
ketable condition. The Owens Threshers are guar¬ 
anteed to do this. They absolutely will not split the 
( seed, and yet take every pod from the vines. They 
i will also shred the vines and take all sand, dirt and 
foul stuff out of them. Handled by an Owens 
Thresher your crop will yield you better both in 
quantity and in price, both for your seed and hay. 
Don’t continue the old wasteful way of handling 
your crop. Try the— 
OWENS 
PEA^BEAN THRESHERS 
Built in 4 Sizes—Doable Cylinders. Larger 
Separating Space than Any Other 
Thresher of Equal Size— 
which has double cylinders enabling one to run the thresher at a low rate of 
speed, preventing any possibility of splitting the seed—and yet be able to take 
EVERY POD from the vines. 
(A single cylinder thresher cannot take all the pods from the vines if the speed 
Is reduced sufficiently so as riot to split the seed.) 
"The Owens” Jias on account of its extreme length a larger separating space 
In proportion to its size than any other thresher built. This also makes the 
Owens do much cleaner work than any other so that you can do without A 
recleaner. 
It is built of absolute first-class material by the most skilled mechanics and 
workmen, and is an all around superior thresher. 
Bur we are unable to give you a true, clear description of the Owens 
in this ad. Our catalogue docs that fully, besides shows you illustra¬ 
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book for the grower of beans and peas, as it gives information gathered 
from the best authorities on how to grow and cutlivate them. . 
The Manufacturers’ Own Proposition to You 
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dealer In your locality, we will save you their commission, but you must write 
' u ? so we can it to you fully, and send you price frist and fuli particulars 
^ about our free trial plan, guaranty, etc. Let us hear from you at once. 
J. L. OWENS CO. 
683 Superior St. S. E. MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. 
Elkhart Buggies 
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FOR THIRTY-SIX YEARS 
we have been selling direct and are 
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May We Send You Our 
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Elkhart Carriage & Harness Mfg. 
Elkhart, - - - - Indiana 
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PITTSBURGH, PA. 
