—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 10,1978
98
The remarkable difference between con
ventionally and intensively managed fields is
illustrated here by the height and thickness of the
stands. The same varieties were used in both
cases. Checking the specific results were, left to
right, Becky Raschke, student teacher of
vocational agriculture at Garden Spot High School;
Intensive management
into clover
gets farmer
By DIETER KRIEG
HINKLETOWN - In
tensive management of
clover fields can bring
pleasantly surprising results
to the farmer, according to a
research project conducted
by the vocational agriculture
department of the Eastern
Lancaster County School
District.
Although similar findings
have been recorded all over
the country - including the
Penn State Field Research
Laboratory near Landisville
- the plot near here offers
some of the most dramatic
proof on the subject.
Donald Robinson, advisor
for the adult agricultural
education program, noted
that one of the keys to good
clover management is to
have the crop mowed before
it reaches full bloom. If that
does not occur, then the crop
will not come back the
following year. Although
clover is a biannual,
research by Penn State
University and other in
stitutions has shown that a
properly managed clover
stand can be productive and
profitable for as long as five
years. Penn State’s Dr. John
Baylor, one of the leading
authorities on forage crops
and hay, has been lecturing
for years that clover can do
much better if it wouldn’t be
so neglected.
The Eastern Lancaster
County School District’s
purpose for the research at
the Hmkletown plot is to
provide fanners with an
opportunity to see for
themselves what clover can
do if it’s managed properly.
Seeded in the Spring of 1977,
and cut for the first tune last
Fall, the plots came back
this year with yields sur
passing two tons per acre.
Robinson, who is assisted
in his programs by Robert
Anderson, noted that during
the first harvest last Fall,
the three planted clover
varieties gave the following
yields:
Pennscott - 0.94 tons per
acre; Flory - 1.54 tons per
acre; and Redland - 1.14
tons per acre. All of these
yields were the result of
intensive management
procedures. Yield checks for
conventionally managed
fields were not taken, ex
plains Robinson, due to
interference by weeds and
rain. He also noted that
mildew was a problem last
year when the crop was
established.
Last week, when the first
cutting was made for 1978,
only the intensively
managed plots were worth
mowing. Portions of the field
which had been treated
conventionally had all but
died away. The explanation
is that the crop was mowed
too late last Fall (when it
was in full bloom) and weeds
had taken over.
First cutting yields this
year were as follows;
Pennscott - 1.16 tons per
acre; Flone -1.46 tons, and
Redland - 2.04 tons.
Even before the clover
was cut last week, and yield
checks were taken, Robinson
and others noted that
Redland had survived the
Winter much better than the
other varieties. Also, in the
conventionally managed
plots, it had withstood full
bloom much better than the
others.
Robinson recommends
that clover be cut at the late
bud or early bloom stage.
Fertilization and weed
control are also important.
In the case of his test plots,
the clover was cowed in uud-
Apnl of 1977 The seedbeds
were conventionally
prepared and Eptam was
sprayed on before seeding
“It controlled weeds very
nicely,” Robinson observed
A hundred pounds of 0-15-30
fertilizer were used to
f
Homer Martin, territory manager of Stanford Seed
Co.; and Donald Robinson, agriculture teacher at
Garden Spot. Not shown, but also present for the
clover management study were Paul Eby, of the
P.L. Rohrer Company, Smoketown; and Robert
Anderson, adult instructor for agriculture at the
Hinkletown Alternative School.
nourish the plants. This
Spring, the field was sprayed
with Butyrac for continued
weed control, and a top
dressing of 100 pounds 10-10-
30 to the acre was applied. A
second topdressing will
follow the final cutting this
Fall.
“A farmer should be able
to expect to maintain im-
$
The late bud to early bloom stage is when
properly managed clover should be cut for harvest.
■*'7
proved varieties of clover for
at least three years,”
Robinson explained, adding
that it could even be four
years and that stands at the
Landisville research facility
have stood for as long as five
years.
“The key”, Robinson
repeated, “is to not allow the
clover to reach full bloom.”
fy- <,
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&
CHAS. J. McCOMSEY
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