The Cecil Whig., 1873-06-07
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CLOVER.
BY J. PAYNE LOWE.
From the american CyelopGdia.

ties of clover of great value to agrlcul-
lists. Red clover is biennial plant,
having perennial qualities under special
modes of cultivation, and is particular.
" adapted to the argillaceous soils.
Small clover, or rowen crop, is excel
lent for young stock; but animals
should not be permitted to feed on
clover lands in early Spring, or late IN
Autumn: in the latter case the crop is
likely to be winter-killed for want of a
mulch-like protection, and in the FORM
er is not able to regain full vigor dur
ing the afterpart of the season, and
this is especially true if sheep are the
pasturing stock Land may be seed
ed down to clover with any of the
cereal crops, such as aswheat, barley, rye,
oats, and in special cases with buck
wheat. 1t is very desirable that the
seed should be sown sufficiently early
to receive the full benefit Of the Spring
rains. The dung of cattle fed on clover
hay is often sufficient to seed land, il
distributed evenly through the soil, the
seed generally passing through the ami
NAL organism without having its ger
minating qualities impaired. The pro
portion of seed to be sown with timothy
or other grass seeds must necessarily
vary with the results desired. In order
to secure distribution, it should be sown
in calm weather. Standing on one
ridge while sowing on another, as is
sometimes done, on windy day, is
unfavorable to the best performance OF
the work, even by the most skillful
sower If tie soil be plowed in seven,
pace lands or aidges, casting the seed
with both hands, after the Scotch sys-
tenn, will enable the operator to do his
work better and 60 over twice as much
ground in a given space of time. In
dry weather, and on very clayey soil
it is we'll to bush-harrow, to insure full
covering, and occasional rolling is very
desirable. Every farmer should have
plenty of clover for soiling in early
Spring for his working animals After
each cutting during the season, top
dress heavily with manures. Land be,
comes clover sick" only in the absence
of proper succession of crops, and
the elements of fertility necessary fol-
the support of the plant. Many farm
ers have great faith in the power Of
clover when plowed in, to restore fer.
tilitv to exhaust soils. 1t does so only
by taking carbon from the atmosphere,
and causing elements in the soil to as
sumo organic forms, thus rendering
them more available as food for othel
crops, and is, therefore, very necessary
in a rational system of husbandry but
if soil be almost robbed of its fertili'
ty by excessive cropping, its equilib
rum must be restored by adding def
cient elements. Land is often too poor
for the seed "to take" In this case it
should be sumner-sallowed, manured,
sowed to winter grain, and to clover in
the Spring. Prof Way found in loo
parts of the ash of clover, grown on a
sillicfous sand, phosphoric acid 5.s2,
lime 1902, potash 1874, soda 2.79, sui.
phuric acid 3,91. AS indicated by
analytic research, plaster of Paris,
which is sulphate of lime, the phos-
pilates, wood ashes, and muck treated
with the salt and lime mixture, are ex-
cellent top-dressings for clover. The
use of plaster, sometimes called gymp'
sum, is often of great value for top
dressing, even in the immediate vicinity
of plaster beds. We have seen many
instances of this fact along the Grand
River in Upper Canada, where the gyp-
sum taxed from the beds was ground
and applied to the soil above them with
the greatest advantage The practice
of plowing in clover crop preparatory
to the growing of wheat is of much i'm
portance. There is a great similarity
between the composition of the ashes
of wheat and clover, especially if the
latter be grown on soil replete with the
necessary constituents. Analytical re-
search has shown that the composition
of clover or any other plant varies with
the chemical condition of soil; this
truth has been often enough demonstrat-
ed. Glover crops should therefore be
grown on soil containing sufficient pa
bulum, and in an available condition
for their support. The growing of
clover is equal to deep plowing, because
it's long roots travel deeply in search of
food for the stems and leaves, which if
plowed into the land will undergo de-
composition, and leave near the surface
elements taken from the subsoil Its
leaves take carbonic acid largely from
the atmosphere, and the plowing in Of
the crop augments the carbon of soil
very materially, which changes its color,
and gives it greater capacity to absorb
solar heat and to retain manures and
ammonia, whether resulting from their
decomposition, or absorbed from the at
mosphere. 1t is very doubtful whether
in all cases clover is the most economi-
cal mode of furnishing carbon. If time
be worth much, it is not, because an
immediate application in most cases
may be made of muck treated with the
salt and lime mixture, black mould from
the woods, peat, river deposits, etc.
Glover fields are sometimes infested by
vegetable parasites of well developed
structure, producing seed. The small
broom is one of these. Its flowers are
of pale brownish color Microsco-
pic examinations show that when it
infests clover there is an organic con-
nection between the plants. This par
asite is interesting to the agriculturist,
not for it's utility, but for its mischief
The dodder is another of these depre-
dators, belonging to the family of
the coNvoLNULAcElE, having small
flowers resembling those of the con-
volvulus. 1t bears perfect seed which
isshed upon the soil, and there
terminates, pervading the ground
by a wire-like process, doomed to
lingering death unless it finds clover
plant. In the commencement of its
growth it gets its nourshment from the
soil, but afterward from the juices of
the plant which it infests The dodder
will find the object of its destruction if
within reach, and its papills or peg
like process, although delicate in struct-
ure will sink into the stalk and feed
upon the juicee of the clover plant -