CLOVER-GROWING FOR SEED.

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume XIII, Issue 4, 20 October 1916, Page 263

CLOVER-GROWING FOR SEED.

POINTS BY A CANTERBURY GROWER.

LEVI LOWE,

J.P., Rolleston.

On the subject of clover-growing there are and always will be many differences of opinion. Consideration has also to be given to climatic influences and physical and chemical variations in soil—whether favourable or otherwise, to the growing of cloverall of which require a certain amount of attention from the grower. These notes will therefore apply mainly to the class of land I have had experience of in Canterbury.

It is by no means the heaviest soil that grows the best cloverseedl refer principally to white clover. The best average results I know of were obtained on good medium land with a good loamy subsoil. The seed matures better, and the sample is generally far superior to that growing on wet land. There are many ideal spots in Canterbury and North Otago (the Oamaru district) where white-clover-growing would return a handsome profit. Thousands of pounds have probably been lost to farmers in the Oamaru district alone through neglect to look after their white-clover crops.

PREPARATION OF THE LAND AND SOWING.

Pasture is often regarded as a last resource for land that is thoroughly exhausted and will not grow anything else profitably. It is also frequently assumed that grass and clover will grow anywhere and anyhow, and farmers are often . surprised that the r.'S'j j of their labour is not profitable. .The fact is that no farm cry requires more , care in laying down than clover, and land , that is not in good heart, and thoroughly cultivated and pulverized, often means failure, of the crop. " White clover, being a very small seed, requires the land to :be very finely worked. After working down the soil I always, roll with a heavy Cambridge roller,: then sow the seed, harrow with' light tine harrows, and roll again. By following these methods I have never experienced a failure. . .../

My usual practice is to sow in February or' at the beginning of March for autumn sowing, and in August and September for spring sowing. If the indications are for a wet autumn and winter,

I generally leave the second rolling till the spring, as the roughened surface helps to shelter the young plants, and the rolling in the spring will not do any harm. In regard to quantity of seed and mixture, I usually sow about 6 lb. of white clover, 3 lb. of red clover, and about a bushel of perennial rye-grass. This combination I have found the best, because if the crop is a failure for seed a return is obtained in grazing to set against the outlay.

As regards fertilize s, this depends principally on the condition of the soil at time of sowing. If the land is in good heart I do not generally sow manure, but I often give a top-dressing of fertilizer to a crop that has been laid down a couple of years. The chief manures I use are either Lawes superphosphate or a manure containing a good percentage of potash about 2 cwt. to the acre, applied broadcast, and chain-harrowed in the latter part of winter or the early part of spring. . A dressing of fertilizer is beneficial also after a heavy 'crop of clover-seed has been taken off the land. Basic slag seems utterly useless as a manure for white clover.

GRAZING. —CLOSING FOR SEED. —SORREL.

Many farmers graze off their young clover too soon, before the roots get properly established. I generally leave mine four months, and even then stock it lightly if it is required for seed purposes.

I find the best time to close off is about October, although one year I had two sacks of seed to the acre when the crop was closed on the 16th December, but that was in an exceptionally favourable season. For the treatment of old white-clover land extensively grazed I run the grass-mower over the paddock to level any tufts, and give it a stroke of the tine harrows and one stroke with the chain harrows early in the season, if possible before a shower of rain. This causes the plants to grow more vigorously.

Sorrel, which is a nuisance in white clover, is easily overcome if taken at the right time. This is as soon as the sorrel flowers, which is about a week or a fortnight before the clover flowers, with the exception of a few blossoms. My method is to get a big No. 4 McCormick mower, set the back part of the cutter-bar down and the fingers on the upward grade, and use a blunt knife, and then run the machine over the paddock. By this means the sorrel bloom is destroyed without damaging the clover, which will smother the sorrel before it can recover. Care must be taken, however, not to cut too deep into the clover. Farmers who have asked for a remedy for sorrel and tried my method have found it a' success every time.

FERTILIZATION.

The fertilization of clover is a thing that is often overlooked, especially with white clover, which requires insect life to transmit the pollen just as much as red clover or cow-grass. A good plan is to place a few hives of bees in the paddock which is being kept for white-clover seed; the result will be found well worth the trouble. I once had a 10-acre lot of white clover, and put two hives in it in a sheltered position. When the paddock was reaped I divided it into two 5-acre lots and stacked the crop separately. The division next the hives yielded two more sacks of seed than the other, although it was thinnest in the plant. The conclusion from this result is easy to form. Cold, high winds are bad for clover during the fertilizing - period. I have seen during a strong east wind the pollen rising in thin grey clouds like smoke, the after-result being three - quarters of the heads blank. Fortunately, the conditions are rarely as bad as that.

HARVESTING.

Knowledge of the ripening process is of considerable importance to the novice. I have often seen good crops spoiled for want of knowing when to cut. If the crop is grown on the lines indicated it should ripen uniformly. I generally leave my clover till the heads are nut-brown and the stems free from sap, but when the crop gets to that stage it requires careful watching.

After having tried nearly every machine on the market for harvesting, I find an ordinary hay-mower with two seats the best. To this I attach a small home-made platform with a pivoted wheel to take the weight behind. The clover accumulates on the platform, and is pushed off sideways at the necessary intervals. In this way the clover-heads always stand upwards in the heaps, and thus the heaps should never be turned. This machine will cut clover even if the stems are only 2 in. or 3 in. high.

It is preferable to reap clover before rain than before a northwester. The shower will do the crop no harm, but the nor’wester may. Turning the cut clover, during wet weather should be avoided. I never turn, no matter how wet it is ; but as soon as the weather takes up for fine . lift the seed with a clover-fork on to a dry place. This is more satisfactory, and the crop less liable to scatter about with the wind.

If the weather is moderately good the clover should be left. in the fields as long as ever it safely can be. This increases the ease of threshing, and seldom does the seed any harm. Wet weather before cutting is more injurious to the seed than wet weather

after cutting, if the seed is properly ripe. Early stacking is very injurious.

The most economical stack for shelling and keeping dry is ’ the narrow form. I never build mine more than 9 ft. wide and as long again; the higher the better, within reason, as it means less trouble at the finish. •

THRESHING AND CLEANING.

There are several clover-shelling machines on the market, but after trying. several I prefer the English make with a Hunt rubber.

Never use perforated-zinc riddles for white-clover dressing if wire-cloth ones can be procured.

CONCLUSION.

Most points of use to the inexperienced grower have been touched upon above, but there is much other interesting matter concerning clover and its culture. ~ I have here kept principally to white clover because it is the easiest and most profitable crop for the novice. My opinion is that clover-growing for seed for the next few years will be a very profitable enterprise for the farmers who take it up.