The Farmer And Mechanic

PUT CLOVER ON YOUR LAND.—An Ohio paper says that by clover, hundreds of farms that were about worthless have been rescued from dilapidation and ruin. It is an accepted truism that as long as "clover will catch" the farm can soon be restored to paying fertility, and by a good rotation is even getting more productive and profitable: for after some years of such treatment the land will bear farming—that is, two or three crops may succeed a good coat of clover before laying down to clover again. Rough new land should be subdued by the use of large clover. Nothing so effectually rots out stumps and kills weeds and sprouts, and prepares the land for the plow and good paying crops. Wild, new lands should always have it sown on the first grain crop down. It saves a vast amount of labor, for in a few years it so tames the ground and clears it of enemies to the plow that it works like old ground, and is good for full crops. One great error is often fallen into, and that is following the old tradition that a bushel of clover seed will do eight acres. That may have been enough to clover land partially when it was new, but whoever aims at getting up his land in a speedy and profitable way should sow a bushel on four acres so that his land may be thoroughly shaded.