r 
Published by 
The Rural Publishing Co. 
333 W. 30th Street 
New York 
Vol. LXXIII 
The Rural New Yorker 
The Business Farmer’s Paper 
NEW YORK, NOVEMBER 14, 1914 
Weekly, One Dollar Per Year 
Postpaid 
Single Copies, Five Cents 
No. 4281 
THE CLOVERS IN NEW YORK. 
Each has a Special Place. 
T heir place in agriculture.— it has 
long been recognized that clovers are good for 
the land, and that other crops are benefited 
when grown after them. They benefit the land in 
two ways; first, by fixing the nitrogen of the air by 
means of bacteria which are associated with them on 
the roots, and secondly by increasing the organic 
content of the soil. In New York, clovers are prob¬ 
ably the most important single factor in the main¬ 
tenance of the fertility of the land. It is often said 
that the growing of clovers will increase the fer¬ 
tility of the soil. This is only partially true. The 
nitrogen content of the soil is generally increased, 
especially, if the nitrogen content was low before 
the clovers were grown, but the amount of nitrogen 
added to the soil seems to depend rather on the 
amount available for the use of the growing plant. 
About two-thirds of the nitrogen used is considered 
as coming from the air, the other third from the soil. 
The potassium and phosphorus used by the clover 
crop is, of course, not returned to the soil directly 
unless the crop is used as a green manure. If it is 
removed from the land as hay, very little of the fer¬ 
tility which it contained may be returned. Regard¬ 
less of how much of these two elements 
is brought up from the lower strata of 
soil by the deep and penetrating roots, 
which finally may become available in 
the surface soil, the growing of clovers 
tends to decrease the total amount of 
these elements in the soil, although at 
the same time it may greatly increase 
the availability of these elements to 
succeeding crops. From this point of 
view, clovers may materially increase 
the ready fertility of land for a while. 
But the problem of fertility is both one 
of increase, where low, and of mainte¬ 
nance, where high. In the evolution of 
a system of agricultural practice by 
which soil fertility can be kept up, the 
continuous cultivation of single crops 
has been replaced by rotation, first of 
cereal crops mostly, secondly by the in¬ 
troduction of grass into the rotation, 
and thirdly, by the introduction of a 
leguminous crop, usually clovers to be 
harvested or to be used as a green ma¬ 
nure. New York has reached this lat¬ 
ter stage where, not considering com¬ 
mercial fertilizers, clovers and other 
plants of the legume family are neces¬ 
sary for the rotation and maintenance 
of fertility. This is true wherever land 
has been long cultivated and cropped 
CLOVERS FOR NEW YORK 
STATE.—Because of climatic and soil 
conditions, only a few of the clovers 
are adapted to New York State condi¬ 
tions. The hay clovers are, In order of importance, 
Red, Alsike and Mammoth Red. The pasture clov¬ 
ers are White and Alsike. The green manure clov¬ 
ers are. Mammoth Red, Red, Alsike and Crimson. 
The reasons for such a classification, which may vary 
somewhat with local conditions, will be given later 
in this discussion. White Sweet clover—which is 
not a true clover, although it belongs to the clover 
“family,” will without doubt come into greater prom¬ 
inence in the future, on account of its very wide 
range of adaptation to soil, climate and uses. 
RED CLOVER (Trifolium pratense).—Red 
clover is sold and grown under many names. It is 
known as Medium Red, Medium clover. June clover, 
common clover, meadow clover, Broad-leafed clover 
and meadow trefoil. It is the most important clover 
in New York State. It requires a rather mild tem¬ 
perate climate. It winter-kills when subject to too 
severe conditions, and in the South cannot be grown 
on account of the heat. It does best on loamy soils, 
which are rather high in lime. On wet or acid soils, 
it gives way to Alsike clover. On drier and liner 
soils, it is surpassed by Mammoth Red clover. It is 
a perennial under favorable conditions, but in New 
York State it lives usually only two years, provid¬ 
ing one crop of forage. This is due to the root-borer, 
an insect which attacks the roots, so that the plant 
. eldorn lives over the second year. The maximum 
yield of hay is usually secured if the plant is cut 
during early blooming stage; after this time the 
weight decreases. It should be harvested with a 
view to securing the largest yield and retaining the 
fine leaves and stems, making a hay of good quality 
and palatability. One objection to Red clover when 
mixed with Timothy, is that it matures about two 
weeks earlier than Timothy, so that the quality and 
yield of one must often be sacrificed for the other. 
Alsike and Mammoth Red mature about the same 
time as Timothy, but the first only yields about two- 
thirds as much as Red, and the latter does not give a 
hay of as fine a quality on account of its coarseness. 
Red clover makes an excellent green manure crop to 
plow under, probably one of the very best, but where 
grown, it is often considered too valuable for this 
purpose. It w T ell deserves first place among the clov¬ 
ers of the State. 
ALSIKE CLOVER (Trifolium hybridum.)—This 
clover is considered by some a hybrid between Red 
clover and White clover. It serves the double pur¬ 
pose of a hay and pasture plant. It is hardier than 
Red clover and more winter-resistant. It is adapted 
to climatic and soil conditions which are unfavor¬ 
able to Red clover, growing on wet and acid soils. 
It does not prefer such conditions, but where they 
exist, Red clover cannot compete with Alsike. For 
A HEN WOMAN AND HER PARTNER. Fig. 578. 
these reasons it is well to mix a few pounds of Al¬ 
sike seed with the Red clover, for hay purposes, so 
that the ground may be more completely occupied. 
Where the conditions of the field are unfavorable for 
Red, Alsike may persist and produce a crop. The 
plant is smaller than the Red. the stems are finer, 
and the yield is only about two-thirds that of Red 
clover. It matures two to three weeks after Red 
clover, about the same time as Timothy, - so that 
Alsike and Timothy can be harvested under the most 
favorable conditions of growth. On account of its 
more perennial habit and its prostrate growth, it is 
better adapted to temporary pastures than Red. but 
it is not so good as White for permanent pastures, 
which makes a better sod and is more palatable. It 
is not affected by the root-borer and produces seed 
readily. It seems to find its best adaptation inter¬ 
mediate between those conditions most favorable to 
both Red and White clovers. This gives it a special 
value in meeting varied conditions. 
MAMMOTH RED CLOVER (Trifolium pratense 
perenne.)—This is considered a variety of Red 
clover, differing from it in its more perennial habit, 
larger, coarser growth and its adaptation to more 
adverse conditions. It is sometimes called perennial 
red. sapling clover and pea-vine clover. It is adapt¬ 
ed to drier conditions and to poorer soils than com¬ 
mon Red. If grown under such conditions the 
growth is not apt to be so rank and makes better hay. 
Where it is grown under most favorable conditions, 
the growth is usually so large that it makes a coarse, 
fibrous and less palatable hay. Its yield is much 
larger the first crop than Red, but there is little 
after-growth. It blooms three to five weeks after 
Red. Where soil improvement only is to be consid¬ 
ered. on account of its ability to grow on poorer 
soils, and to withstand adverse conditions, and its 
large, green growth, it is better than Red clover. On 
lands well adapted to Red clover, again, Mammoth 
clover cannot compete. But under conditions adverse 
to Red clover. Mammoth Red becomes the more val¬ 
uable as a hay crop, and under most conditions 
would be most valuable as a green manure crop. 
CRIMSON CLOVER (Trifolium incarnatum.) — 
This clover is often called scarlet and carnation 
clover. It cannot be generally grown in New York 
State. It requires a rather sandy soil that is warm 
and moist. It does not endure heat, so is usually 
planted after Summer, grows well until Winter sets 
in and starts growth again earl in Spring, and is 
harvested the last of May or the first of June. Its 
greatest uses are as cover and green manure crops. 
On account of the stems being thick and hairy, and 
the leaves hairy, it makes a dusty and coarse hay. 
though of fairly good quality. It is what is known 
as a Winter annual. It must be sown 
•»m " l in the Fall, and only where the Winters 
vj| are mild. It is unlikely that it will 
ever become of any importance in this 
State. Although it has a low er lime 
requirement than Red. it cannot com¬ 
pete with Red when the latter can be 
grown. 
WHITE CLOVER (Trifolium re¬ 
pens.)—This is sometimes called Dutch 
clover. It is the imi>ortant pasture 
clover. If is spreading in habit of 
growth and forms an excellent sod. be¬ 
sides being a perennial plant. It re¬ 
quires a soil that is fairly sweet, its 
requirements in this respect being sim¬ 
ilar to that of Kentucky Blue grass. It 
is found associated with this latter 
plant, generally, and should be includ¬ 
ed in every pasture mixture. It is 
very palatable, cud cattle will eat it 
in preference to Alsike clover. It takes 
from three to four years from seeding 
before it becomes established in a pas¬ 
ture. but when once established it is 
usually permanent, and certainly very 
valuable. It will be seen from the 
above discussion that the clovers vary 
greatly in their range of adaptations 
to soil and climate, and to use. Each 
clover, however, seems to have some 
distinct advantage which makes it pe¬ 
culiarly adapted to a given set of con¬ 
ditions. It should be the aim to dis¬ 
cover the best clovers for the best 
places with a view to their most economic and best 
utilization. johx h. keiskek. 
THE DAIRY COW SAVES THE OHIO CORN 
BELT. 
6 
4 T 
, IIE dairy cow will be the salvation of our 
rich corn lands. They are becoming de¬ 
pleted in fertility,” is the opinion of Lloyd 
Willeutt, of Mercer County, Northwestern Ohio. 
"The older farmers believed the rich black soil of 
Northeastern Ohio would last forever. Some main¬ 
tain the theory, but we younger men can see they 
are wrong. I know a farmer 00 or 70 years of age. 
He raised corn from boyhood: a dozen years ago he 
began raising clover in the rotation, corn, wheat or 
oats and clover. He believed with the rotation the 
wealth of the soil would not be depleted, but now his 
soil is losing its efficiency, and this farmer is notic¬ 
ing that his corn crop is falling off each year. He is 
but an example. Others have learned the value of 
marketing grain products through live stock, they 
have lessened the drain on the fertility. We are go¬ 
ing further, the dairy cow is the salvation of our 
robbed farms. In our section many of us sell cream, 
we feed the skim-milk to hogs, calves and chickens. 
Since the price of beef has been going up. we are 
not selling the male calves from the beef breeds as 
