$+++'¥N"+++"++++++++++++: Clover for Seed 3 Is Profitable. § o - By A. C. Arny, Minnesota Agri- cultural College. B R A Clover has come in Minnesota to stay. It benefits the soil. It is one of the cheapest and best feeds that can be grown. It works in well with the short rotations best suited to di- versified farming in Minnesota. Its high value has been demonstrated No other one thing will do more to encourage clover ng for hap, pas- ture, for a’green manure crop than to enable any farmer that wants it to get pure, live clover seed at a rea- sonable price. Minnesota is well adapted to the growing of clover seed ‘This is especially true of the northern part of tne state, where the crop is practically a sure one. The cost of producing un ucre of clover for seed, fncluding land rental at $3.50 per acre, has bLeen found to be about $6.50. With a yield of two bushels per acre the clover seed crop is a profitable one at the present prices of clover seed. Two or three times this yield is often secured, which makes the growing of clover for seed a profitable undertaking. Low yields cannot in ali cases be avoided. They may be due to poor soil conditions or to adverse weather conditions when the clover is blossoming. Cold, wet weather may prevent the plant from ftlowering properly or bees from working and cross pollenating the flowers, which is necessary for best results in seed production. With good weather conditions and plenty of bees to bring about cross pollenation, seed may not be set at all on account of part of the tlower being destroyed by the young of an in- sect, the clover seed midge; or, if the 4 AR att S22 T2 CLOVER ROOTS. flower does escape the midge, and the seed is set it may be eaten by the young of the.clover chaleid. The damage done to clover seed by the young of both of these insects may be largely avoided by pasturing the clover d during the latter part of May, and the early part of June, sufficient to delay the blossoming un< til late in July. Sheep may be used to good advantage, but care should be exercised to prevent bloating. If it is not desired to pasture the clover off, the first crop of hay may be cut early Just before the heads appear. The date will vary with the season. Cutting the first crop at so early a date necessarily lessens the yield of hay, and the crop may be somewhat bhard to cure, but the midge will be prevented from laying eggs in the flowers and the chalcid will be pre- vented from depositing eggs in the young clover seed. Treated as out- lined above, by the time the flowers do appear, the first generation of these insects will have ceaséd to work, and the second generation will not yet have developed so the seed is set with- out hindrance and it develops without injury from these two insects. The increased yield of good seed when the crop is handled in this way will usually bring in a much larger money return than getting a larger yield of bhay from the first crop and a much smaller yield of seed from the second crop. o o oo odr oo oo oo ol e el e ol ok b ol e L * L o+ Mark each patch of quack ++ grass, work around it to avoid *+ scattering its roots with har- < #+ row or other machinery. If the < +*+ patch is not too large smother < « it with tar paper well held in "o % place with earth two to four < « months. If too large to handle < # In this way write to the Experl- « # ment Station, St. Anthony o % Park, St. Paul, for more de- &+ tailed advice. * * - L A O A A Poor Seed Cause.of Crop Failures. Probably more failures in the clover crop of Minnesota have occurred through poor seed than from any oth- er cause, or from a combination of all other causes, though sometimes the failure has been found to come from fmproper preparation of the seed hed or to a lack of phosphoric acid and potash in the soil. Experiment sta- tion chemists have found the soil of Minnesota chemically and physically well adapted to the production of clo- ver. Plant only good seed on a well prepared seed bed and good results are almost sure to follow. Good clover seed is plump, clean seed, of good germinating strength, that has been grown in your owun neighborhood. HO N TO. PLANT CGRN. 8eed Should Be Tested to Secure Fa- vorable Results. Corn planting time will soon again be upon us. Therefore, it is well to consider a few essential points in suc. cessful corn growing. The seed—have you tested it for germination? If not, do so_at once, as seed corn this year is unsafe unless tested. With seed of 100 per cent germination, plant three kernels per hill. With seed of 90 per cent germination, plant four kernels per hill, With seed of 80 per cent germination, plant flve kernels per hill. 1If the seed tests no more than 76 per cent, look for new seed unless by grading, sorting, ete, a better vital- ity Is obtained. Seed of uniform size and shape is obtained by careful elim- Ination of tip aund butt kernels and by grading the seed closely with a corn grader or a fanning mill. This {s ex- ceedingly important in getting a uni- form stand and growth. Three ker- nels planted per hill, in check rows 8 feet 6 inches apart each way, will give favorable results, More than this is conducive of smaller ears, and less than this will lower the total yleld and SEED CORN—KERNELS ON ENDS NOT USED. increase the relative percentage of desirable seed ears. A soil rich in humus is the one im- portant factor in getting large yields. A fine, firm seed bed is secured by disking, then harrowing with a slant tooth harrow. Kxtra time in prepar- ing the seed bed is well spent, for if the plants do not get well started in the beginning their producing power Is lessened. The roots must be in touch with soil particles at all times to get the plant food necessary for bullding up a vigorous plant. This is difficuit in a poorly prepared seed bed. The depth to plant varies with the season and soil conditions. TUnder normal conditions two and one-half inches is a proper depth. Under con- ditions of sandy, loose or drouthy soil, plant deeper to get the seed in touch with moisture, or so prepare the seed bed as to cause the moisture to rise nearer the surface. In other words, create a dust mulch. If, on the other hand, the soil is heavy, close or wet, shallower planting is to be recom- mended. And in the latter case avoid packing the soil over the seed. In tne former case, firming the soil about the seed is hightly important—C. P. Bull, Minnesota Agricultural College. LR R R R X R R + The extension division of the department of agriculture of < this state is advocating co-oper-

Bemidji Daily Pioneer dated May 16, 1910

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