RURAL TALKS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXIII, Issue 16060, 15 October 1912, Page 11

RURAL TALKS.

j I (By RUSTIOUS.) "Whito Clover " Masterton, writes: w." If ' Rusticjs' would give us one of his talks on the growing of white clover for seed 'it would be a ■ benefit to several farmers in this district. , \\e grow;a fair quantity of cow-grass seed, but so far as I know no one has taken up the work of white clover growing. "We. would bo pleased to have any general information as. to cultivation, harvesting, etc., and in particular would like to be informed as to the quantity of qeed used per acre and whether it is advisable to sow" it alone or in conjunction with any other grasses; also when to shut up the field and best math.cd of stocking or cutting." There is not much white clover saved

for'seed in the dominion. •' Sometimes chance will send a good crop of it,' and I it may be saved for seed, but a pad-, dock is seldom set aside for producing | white clover seed, though it should pay I very well on suitable land. For its production for seed purposes good land is needed in order to induce sufficient growth to make the stuff reapThe season must also be fairly damp and warm, as it makes very little {regress in cither cold or dry weather. t ia. not such a dependable crop as red -clover. A top-dressing of bonedust, or, better still, basic slag, will be sure to improve the crop immensely. Lini©; too, is a good dressing for white clover land. It will frequently bo found that these dressings will bring intorevidence white clover in pastures where none was thought to exist be- ',■ In; my district farmers do not now bow: white clover, for the reason that the paddocks are full of it. Stock will not'eat the heads-of white clover; the seedVripens and drops to the ground. It ha.p great powers of vitality and will keep.< in the soil after it has been ploughed under. "When the land has been.turned over again, perhaps after ' the 'lapse of years, this white clover seodi'will grow once it gets suitable conditions. In some places it partakes somewhat of the nature of a weed, and is often seen in .crops where the land has been ploughed the second time after lea. The method of saving tho seed of white. clover is similar to that used in harvesting red clover. The seed should . be sown in the spring at the rate of four or five pounds an acre with, say. half a bushel of ryegrass. The following summer hay should be taken oil' and the aftermath allowed to go to seed as in tho case of red clover. It may be fed down in the spring closely an>l then allowed to run to seed, but the best method is to cut the grass as scon as possible for hay, because a more even! growth and ripening can be obtained after mowing than is possible after feeding down. As I have said. war3n moist weather is needed for its successful growth, such a season as we had'in Canterbury'last autumn. A good deal- of white clover came up in our red;'clover crops and was saved when shelling the clover. One of the chief drawbacks with white clover is the great uncertainty as to whether it will grow lengthy enough for reaping. There are several different kinds of white clover. One is the small kind that one often sees in the paddocks in the early summer. Then there is a larger cultivated white clover which grows ranker, but is hot so permanent as the smaller kind. There is also an Italian variety chat grows higher than either of the Foregoing varieties and produces more fodder. In' all clovers the heads of the first crop are seldom as well filled as the second crop. The fertilisation ■of all clovers is also aided by insects, though a certain amount of fertilisation takes place without the aid of bees and other insects. The second crop, therefore; benefits by the large number of insects on the wing in the early autumn. There is often a good deal of doubt thrown on the assertion that bees-;helpvfco.'produce a .good yield, but I think-that it must bo allowed that they do a considerable service in that direction. Years ago the famous Charles Darwin experimented in tho matter, and he-.found that from ten flowers visited by bees he got ten times as many .seeds as from a number protected with gauze. On another occasion he failed to obtain a single fertile need from harvested heads that had been cealed iri such a way that bees could not get access to them. For reaping white clover a 6ide delivery reaper may be used as in cutting red clover; or an ordinary hay mower may be made to do the work by fixing a platform behind the knife. The raking off in this case has to be done by hand,'and this is not a light job, Dwing to the pace at which a mower Is often .made to travel. The clumps of hay may then "remain on the ground till they are sufficiently cured to cart. They may need burning, particularly if tho weather is not very drying, or if a rain comes. The stacks should be well covered with straw, as the clover itself is of no use in keeping out the rain. It is Interesting to note that clovers do not need the application of nitrogenous fertilisers to make them grow rankly as is the case with most other grasses. Clovers obtain their nitrogen for themselves from the air by means of bacteria- in the nodules on tho roots. Lime or gypsum is good for clovers. The lime is not a manure in itself, but it makes- the potash in tho soil available, and this is a constituent much needed by clover. ,„ Clover crops are good for the land, and it is generally recognised that where red clover has grown the farmer may depend upon fetting a good crop of almost any ind. In some parts of New Zealand, red clover will not grow till after the -land has been lined, tho land being, presumably, too acid for it till the application of lime corrects that acidity. Red clover' renovates worn-out land, and adds a amount of vegetables matter to the„ soil. In addition to that, it adds nitrogen to tho land and places in a more available state the phosphate acid and potash in the soil. In sowing clover seed, care must be taken to nob cover the seed too deeply. It may, under certain conditions, fail to grow if put in, say, at the depth of b. couple of inches. Not more than half an inch of cover is jiecessriry, and this may be given by means •of chain harrows, brush harrows or a roller. In purchasing clover seed 3, ofire must be ~taken to see that it is free from impurities. Some of tho impurities most common to clover seed are dodder, trefoil, rib-gfnss and plantain. Some of these impurities- are contained in the excellent little'reference chart issued bv. tho Agricultural Department and prepared by Mr A. H. Cockayne. The cost of tho chart is only half a crown, and it is worth considerably more than tho money.'