Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1870-01-05
CLOVER-ITS BENEFITS.

CLOVER-ITS BEEEFITS.
The point in clover, as manure, is tC
get all from the atmosphere YOU CANTOR
this is clear gain; you have not to work
| to get it; and tits the right kind of food
for your soil, the Organic,-the mineral
the earth has already, and the added or
ganic will aid in developing it.
The beauty in raising clover is to i'm
prove the land, in the second place, is
that you may cut crOp,-a good, renu-
meTative crOp,-and get another to turn
under the same season. So there is no
loss for immediate use; you can pay
your debt with clover as well as with
grain or any other product. Sell the
crop, or better, feed it, and sell the
stock, (buy in the fall and sell in the
spring. or raise seed; this will COM
mand ready cash, and if you have luck
with it, it will give you q larger return.
If you find your seed will not do we'll
as you may before it matures-cut for
hay. You thus get two crops, say three
or four tons to the aCre-three at the
least, in anything like decent year.
We hold that clover is the best thing
to feed. 1t contains much nitrogen, and
is therefore well suited to young stock
of all kinds-tegs as well as calves and
colts; will dc for working horses, and
give more milk than any other feed,
white clover not excepted. But it must
be cut early.
Here, then, is a great profit in the
feeding alone. The stock will be as
healthy as in summer.
There is, therefore, no loss i'm raising
clover as manure, as the adjunct of
feeding alone pays. 1t will 90 further
than timothy, yielding much more, and
is equally nutritious, if not more so.
We can OffOrd to raise clover independ-
ent of its effect upon the sOiI-as a feed
merely. We can make it do more than
any of the grasses, Notwithstanding
timothy as a prestage. 1t is a handsome
grass, is easily treated, and really does
well. But it does not so well as the
rough, coarse clover.
But the soil; this gets the benefit,
even greater than that at the barn lin
feeding;) thus doubling its use. This is
clear; it is well established. More than
half of its strength is got from the at
mOsphere, and half Of that goes to the
rOOt,-accOrding to VOELECKER, much
more, besides chemically benefting the
soil. The ground is pressed upon and
and numerous, or should be, and may
be, meIlOwing and enriching as they 20.
Thus the subsOil is benefited, mechan-
ically and otherwise, while the top, the
arabic part, is charged-crOWded with
roots. And these roots contain much
substance,-as the plant dOes,-and
largely Of nitrogen. This also is clear.
And now here is your bed for the
plOw to 60 in. Not tough; not a good,
even, but soil mellow and rich with
roots. And so it comes up whether you
plOW it in the fall or in the spring. 1t
will grow anything, wheat in particu-
lar, and corn. It is enriched to that
extent that it will do to plOw a year or
two, and then seed down again, rich
enough for either grain or grass. When
however, it is much run, the fertility
extracted, there will be less clover roots
and less stem, so that single crop of
grain is all that should be takens unless
aided by manure. A few crops thus
turned down will improve the land won
deTfully, both its fertility and texture,
each important in its way.
A plan that is the best of all, in our
experience, is to take a crop of hay and
another of seed, and then turn down.
We have found this to be the best. The
hay and the seed are in themselves a
great harvest-tWO crops Ofprime value;
so we have found it. The land then
plOwed and put to grain yielded better
than ifleft a year or two longer to hay
or pasture. This seems questionable,
yet it is our experience and that of 9TH
ers in the neighbOrhOOd, for much clo-
yer seed is raised here, or rather has
been raised. There is a slight fall of,
and dairying is substituted.
This doctrine of greater yields after a
seed crop is taken of; has recently been
confirmed by VOelcker. The ground is
the washing and debris of stem; and
somehow there seems to be an action
besides, owing to the change into seed,
effecting the soil.
Thus there is no interruption in the
crops, but an increase of them without
manUTe) and an improvement of the
land. This continued for several years
secures rich soil, with increased crops
all the while in obtaining it.
But the land must be in condition to
receive the clover. A wet soil will not
do; the frost will throw out the plant
Neither is a sandy soil as good as clay.
A clay loan well drained, either natIIr-
ally or artificially, is the thing for clO-
yer; and it will last if necessary, for
years in such a soil; indeed, can be
made permanent, though not prOduc-
ing as heavy crops as may be desirable.
But with timothy or orchard grass add
ed, there will be no lack of good Weld.
Almost any moderately rich, dry soil
will grow clover; and if not so rich, with
the aid of plaster a good growth can be
made. Plaster in no case should be
omitted, especially for seed. There will
be plumper berry, and more Of it, de-
the stalk has more strength and !
and stands the severity of the !
season better, particularly the drOuth.
On the whole, clover is the farmers |
plant that he cannot well dispense with. |
He has a means to do with if he wishes. !
The great point, Of course, is to obtain |
free manure. Manure is getting scarce; |
we want all we can get, and we want to |
get it as cheap as we can; that is the |
great end-cheapness And the atmos-
Dhere has it. 1t offers it to us constant !
.y; surrounds us with it; crowds it upon |
us. We but need to use the means to /
get it. And we have shown that the |
means, in itself, is renumeTative, aside, |
from the main object of getting as man
Ire.
Some farmers have availed them
selves of the benefits of clover. They /
nave done it in the most thorough .
manner; and we have the result-suc-
,ess in the highest degree.
In this vicinity, Central New York,
We have fair chance to know of its eff
'ect. Much clover is raised, both for
nay and grass, as well as for seed; and
,he different kinds of clover have been
lsed. First the large was only raised;
low the medium occupies mainly our
ields. This affords two crops, one for
lay and one for seed, or both hay.
1t is found that this smaller clover