The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-04-05
M;TEkt 4at~t.
Value Of the Clover Crop.
Canada Farmer

Canada Farmer
Clover is valuable from the rapidity
of its growth. But a few months elapse
from the sowing of the seed before it
yields, ordinarily, an abundant and nu-
tritious crop, relished by cattle of all
kinds.
Glover is an admirable soiling crop,
coming in early, yielding two heavy
crops with good management, and in
favorable seasons three crops. Mr..
Stephens estimates that in Scotland the
average crop of green food from two
cuttings is eighteen tons (of 1000 lbs.)
per acre. With liberal employment of
plaster and liquid fertilizers, we should
say that this crop can, in most seasons
in Canada, be exceeded
Glover is Invaluable as a hay crop
when properly cured 1t is worth near
ly or quite as much as good timothy to
feed to farm stock generally For
mich cows and sheep it is preferable to
timothy For horses and working OK
en-, timothy hay is better than clover hay.
The usual practice, however, all over
North America is to SOW timothy and
clover together for hay, with frequent
ly red-top added. Universal use justi
ies this practice Nothing is more
clear, however, than that the addition
to this mixture of other valuable grass
seeds would greatly increase and i'm
prove the crop, at the slight cost of the
seed only. But on this point we will
have something to say hereafter.
Clover in pasture lands is excellent
for all descriptions of stock. Hogs are
,benefcially affected to remarkable de-
gree by a run in the clover pasture
Clover, however, has a still higher
claim than any of these POSSIBLY than
all of them together) to the affection of
the agriculturist, in its wonderful pow
ers as fertilizer In this respect it is
unequaled by any crop grown on the
farm; and for this it is indebted to its
capacity for foraging largely on the air.
The different ways in which it adds to
the fertility of land are chiefly these:
l. Shading the surface of the SOIL
Owing to its rapid and luxurian growth
it soon forms close and heavy cover
ing over the soil, that acts as a mulch
in protecting it from the scorching rays
of the Summer sun. At the same time
that the soil is protected the weeds are
smothered out, and the land cleaned
up.
2. Aerifying and disintegrating the
soil. Glover possesses peculiarly long
and powerful tap-roots, that penetrate
deep, loosening the soil and admitting
the air, thus rapidly changing the phys
zeal condition not only of the soil, but
of the subsoil also
3. By efecting important chemical
changes necessary to enrich the earth
with plant food. It's abundance of
foliage enables clover to gather from
the atmosphere immense stores of gases
that give life to the plants, which its
far-reaching roots send deep down into
the earth. Thus clover-6eld becomes
great commissary, collecting food
from the earth and air for whatever
crop that may follow.
4. By preventing washing. The clo-
yer mulch breaks the force of the hard
beating rains, while roots hold the soil
in mat, as it were, thus preventing it
from washing
S. AS a green manure. Perhaps, no
crop is so valuable for turning under
in green stage as clover. In addition
to the immense amount of rich veget-
able matter in its abundant roots, the
plant itself is extremely rich in all the
materials necessary to the healthful
growth of succeeding crops.
6. As special preparation for wheat
and corn crops. On this point DR..
Voelcker says:
All who are practically acquainted
with the subject must have seen that
the best crops of wheat are produced
by being preceded by crops of clover
grown for seed. 1 have come to the
conclusion that the very best prepare
ton, the very best manure, is a good
crop of clover. 4 A vast
amount of mineral manure is brought
within reach of the corn crop, which
otherwise would remain in q lookup
condition in the soil. The clover plants
take nitrogen from the atmosphere, and
manufacture it into their own substance,
which, on decomposition of the clover
roots and leaves, produces abundance of
ammonia. In reality the growing of
clover is equivalent to great extent
to manuring with Peruvian guano and
in this paper of mine | show that you
obtain larger quantity of manure than
in'the largest dose of Peruvian guano
which farmer would ever think of
anDlyinpn