19iO. 
CLOVER AND SUCCESSFUL FARMING. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
483 
In the northeastern corner of Colum¬ 
bia County, New York, is situated a 
farm of 1,200 acres, owned by A. D. 
Haight and managed by John D. Mac- 
Leay. This farm illustrates what may 
be done in growing clover on poor land. 
The land lies mostly in and on the sides 
of a small tributary valley. Its soil is 
a stony or gravelly loam, principally 
derived from shale rock. In places on 
the hillsides the barren ledge rock crops 
out. Here the soil is thin and poor. 
The lower more level lands are fairly 
good soils. Last year the farm grew 
140 acres of corn, 150 acres of oats, about 
250 of clover and Timothy hay, 40 acres 
of buckwheat and 30 acres of rye; the 
remainder being in rough hillside pas¬ 
ture or woodland. On these crops, with 
the purchase of some grain (the farm 
is rapidly approaching the point where 
it will be able to produce all its grain 
feed), are kept 140 head of Guernsey 
cattle, 250 head of sheep, 150 swine, and 
22 horses and mules, necessary to do 
the work. The products sold are prin¬ 
cipally fancy butter—the farm maintains 
its own creamery—and in addition wool, 
mutton and live hogs. Clover is the 
basis of the rotation, and around this 
crop all others are made to center. The 
rotation is quite flexible, all depending 
on getting the proper conditions for a 
successful stand of clover. The present 
management began three years ago to 
follow this plan: The land is plowed 
when convenient, Spring or Fall, and no 
expense is spared to put it in as per¬ 
fect a condition for a seed bed as pos¬ 
sible. In Spring a good covering of 
manure is thoroughly worked into the 
soil, and corn planted. The following 
year, provided the soil is in sufficiently 
good tilth to warrant expecting a good 
clover catch, oats are sown and with 
them nine pounds of Mammoth Red 
clover, five pounds of Alsike and four 
pounds of Timothy. If the seed bed is 
not judged good enough, however, a 
light covering of manure is again added, 
and another crop of corn taken from the 
field. Clover is never sown until the 
conditions of the seed bed arc as favor¬ 
able as they can be made. Previous to 
seeding from one to two tons of Can¬ 
adian unleached ashes are applied to the 
soil, to supply lime and potash. At 
harvesting the oat stubble is left as high 
as possible in order to protect the young 
plants from the exposure and to hold 
the snow in Winter to prevent Winter- 
killing. Under this system a good stand 
of clover is practically always obtained. 
Hay is never cut more than two years, 
so that some clover is always plowed 
under. If a stand of clover is not satis¬ 
factory it is turned under without cut¬ 
ting and the operation repeated. 
The results are as might be expected. 
Clover grows in every case, even on the 
poorest soils. Here it is only a case 
of repeating the rotation a few times 
in order to make the soil productive 
again. These poor fields seldom cut 
less than a ton of hay, and it is hay,* 
not weeds. One of the better fields in 
the lower land which has had this treat¬ 
ment longer last year cut three tons 
per acre. In every direction are fields 
with little or no clover in them. It is 
true on many New’ York farms clover 
does not grow, but of how many is it 
true that it will not grow, if we supply 
the conditions? In this case, clover has 
certainly responded to the supplying of 
the conditions. Thorough preparation 
of the seed bed, a light covering of ma¬ 
nure, plenty of seed, a small supply of 
lime and not more than two years’ suc¬ 
cessive hay crops taken off are making 
productive hillsides out of non-produc¬ 
tive ones. __ m. c. b. 
Officer: “I understand that you and 
Private Perkins were calm and collected 
when the explosion occurred at the pow¬ 
der magazine?” Private Pat: “Well, 
sor, Oi was calm, but poor Perkins was 
collected.' ---'Melbourne Australasian. 
PHOSPHORIC ACID IN BONE OR ROCK. 
Ii. /■’. T.; Bradcntoicn, Fla .—Strictly for 
phosphoric acid, is acid phosphate as good 
to use as hone? I mean is it objection¬ 
able in any way? 
A ns.— This question cannot be an¬ 
swered in a line. Bone is an organic 
substance, porous and sure to decay 
more or less rapidly when put in the 
soil. Acid phosphate is a mineral or 
stone crushed and then treated with 
sulphuric acid. Phosphate rock is 
really a form of petrified bone or bone 
turned to stone. A “bone phosphate” 
is a combination of one part of phos¬ 
phoric acid with three parts of lime. In 
making acid phosphate 1,000 pounds 
of the crushed rock are mixed with 1,000 
pounds of sulphuric acid. This breaks 
up the combination, takes two parts of 
lime away and leaves one part of lime 
and one part of phosphoric acid. When 
this is put into the soil new combina¬ 
tions take place, the phosphate combin¬ 
ing with lime, iron, aluminum or other 
substances found in the soil. On very 
sandy land where there is usually a 
shortage of lime the combination is 
likely to be made with other substances 
and the phosphate becomes more in¬ 
soluble than it was in the phosphate 
rock. Thus while the acid phosphate 
when first used is an active plant food, 
after remaining in the soil for a time 
it may become unavailable. Another 
objection is that it is very sour, and on 
a naturally acid soil might prove a dis¬ 
advantage to clover, Alfalfa or some 
other crops which clo best in alkaline 
soils. The bone acts differently in the 
soil. Being an organic substance, it 
decays. The finer it is ground the faster 
it is broken down in the soil. While 
the acid phosphate may give better re¬ 
sults the first season it may after that 
take such form in the soil that crops 
would suffer though the phosphoric acid 
were still present in an insoluble form. 
On the other hand, the bone becomes 
more and more available as it decays, 
so that its effect is more lasting. We 
have described several farms where a 
five-year rotation was followed, nearly 
all the fertilizer being applied to po¬ 
tatoes. The succeeding crops of wheat, 
grass and corn are grown with only 
light dressing of fertilizer, since the 
large amount used on potatoes carries 
the rotation through. It is not likely 
that this could be done by using a fer¬ 
tilizer with the phosphoric acid nearly 
all in the form of acid phosphate. 
d 
SWIFTS 
ANIMAL 
^FERTILIZER 
Active all 
the time. 
Too Much Emphasis 
cannot be laid upon the fact that the fertilizer nearest to nature, or nature’s 
manure, will prove the most reliable and profitable. 
That is why Swift's Fertilizers are so much in demand—so satisfactory. 
They are crop producers as well as soil builders. They leave the soil in 
excellent condition for later use after first crops have been removed. 
For this reason they are active all the time. Be sure you use them. 
Swift—Superior—Sure 
"It gives me great pleasure to state that 
I raised one of the finest crops of corn on 
Swift’s Fertilizer this season ever pro¬ 
duced on World’s End Farm. The yield 
was more than 95 bushels shelled corn per 
acre. 
Have used these fertilizers to my entire 
satisfaction the past ten years, and will use 
them extensively this coining season.” 
[Sighed] G. K. Goodhue, Supt., 
World’s End Farm, 
Hingham, Mass. 
“I have conducted an experiment with 
over GO varieties of potatoes to ascertain 
the best yielder. Swift’s Superior Fertilizer 
has given glorious results in spite ot the 
driest season known in the century. Yield 
4G0 bushels per acre of handsome salable 
potatoes. After many years’ trial with 
different kinds, your fertilizer gives me the 
best results, and it conserves moisture 
even in periods of drought.” 
[.Signed] Rev. J. R. Lawrence, 
Raynham, Mass. 
One of th<e vital demands upon you is to enrich the soil and maintain its 
fertility. To do this economically and successfully simply insist upon using 
Swift’s Animal Fertilizers. They cost no more titan others, and are swift, 
superior , sure. See local agent or write us. Free Pocket Memo Booklet 
containing valuable crop information on application. 
Swift’s Lowell Fertilizer Co., 40 North Market St., Boston, Mass. 
Pull 
30 Days’ 
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TRIAL 
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Hercules Stump Puller- 
No excuse for stumpy fields. This Hercules is now sold on 30 days’ 
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Also pulls largest-sized green trees, hedgerows, etc. Don’t risk danger¬ 
ous and costly dynamite. It only shatters stump and leaves roots In 
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HERCULES MANUFACTURING CO., 130 17th Street, 
BOOKS 
Jartl today- j 
CENTERVILLE, IOWA 
^Orchards Worth $1000 Per Acre""^ 
“A feature of the Bradley Fertilizer exhibit at the Fruit Show was an 
exhibit of the Nova Scotia apples and a printed statement showing the profits of 
fruit growing in that province, especially in the Cornwallis and Annapolis 
Valleys. The average estimate of cultivating, fertilizing, spraying and pruning 
per acre was $25 and the cost of picking and packing the fruit is estimated at 
fifty cents per barrel. 
“The yield reported from eight to ten orchards shows an average for the 
past five years of from 100 to 165 barrels of shipping apples per acre, sold at an 
average price, varying from $1.90 to $2.50 per barrel during the five years. The 
gross returns per acre range from $190 to $304 per acre, and the net returns 
from $117 to $219 per acre. The average net returns for all the orchards for the 
five years were $174 per acre, a sum sufficient to pay 15.75 per cent on $1000. 
Accordingly a valuation of $1000 per acre for these orchards seems not exces¬ 
sive.” —American Cultivator. 
The secret of the success of apple growing, as here described, lies 
in cultivating and fertilizing the orchard. Of course young trees must 
be set out at proper times to come on and take the place of those becom¬ 
ing too old. 
Finely colored, fancy fruit, heavy in weight, sound in texture, and 
exquisite in flavor, comes only from trees properly nourished and cared 
for. Such fruit is always sure of a good market, but cannot be obtained 
without enrichment of some kind. Bradley’s Fertilizers are the best for 
this purpose, because they supply all the elements required for a maxi¬ 
mum crop, and in forms that are best adapted for the purpose. They 
will not produce wood and leaf growth at the expense of the fruit, but a 
healthy, well-balanced tree bearing a full fruitage. 
Agents wanted in unoccupied territory. 
Send for circulars. 
I- 
The American Agricultural Chemical Company 
BRADLEY FERTILIZER WORKS 
Offices: BOSTON, NEW YORK, BUFFALO, CLEVELAND 
J 
