The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-05-23
valna of the Glover Cron.

Glover is valuable from the rapidity
of its growth. But a few months
elapse from the sowing of the seed be-
fore it Yields, ordinarily, an abundant
and nutritious crop, relished by cattle
of all kinds. Clover 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 Scot
land the average crop of green food,
from two cuttings, is eighteen tons (of
1000 pounds) per acre. With liberal
employment of plaster and liquid fer
tilizers, we should say that this crop
can. in most seasons in Canada, be ex-
ceeded. Glover is invaluable as hay
crop when properly cured. It is worth
nearly or quite as much as good timo-
thy to feed to farm stock generally.
For mich cows and sheep it is prefer
able to timothy. For horses and work
ing oxen timothy hay is better than
clover hay. The usual practice, how
all over North America is to SOW timo-
thy and clover together for hay, with
frequently red-top added. Universal
use iustihes this practice. Nothing is
more clear, however, than that the adj
dition to this mixture of other valuable
grass-seeds would greatly increase and
improve the crop, at the slight cost of
the seed only. But on this point we
will have something to say hereafter
Glover il pasture lands is excellent for
all descriptions of stock. Hogs are
benefcially affected to q remarkable
degree by a run in the clover pasture.
Glover, however, has a still higher
al ho, Of Il
all of them together) to the affection of
the agriculturist, in it's wonderful
powers as a fertilizer In this respect
it is unequaed 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 luxuriant
growth it soon forms Il close and heavy
covering over the soil, that acts as a
mulch in protecting it from the scorch-
ing rays of the summer sun. At the
same time that the soil is protected the
weeds are smouthered out, and the land
cleaned up. 2. AGrifying and disin-
tegating the soil. Glover possesses
peculiarly long and powerful tap-roots,
UuttG ItIIcGItbtS OeGI1 1OOS6ulnS GL6 SOIL
and admitting the air, thus rapidly
changing the physical condition not
only of the soil, but of the subsoil
also. 3. By effecting important chemi-
cal changes, necessary to enrich the
earth with plant food. It's abundance
Of foliage enables clover to gather
from the atmosphere immmense stores
of gases that give life to the plants,
which its far-reaching roots send deep
down into the earth. Thus q clover
field becomes great commissary, col
Letting food from the earth and the air
for whatever crop that may follow. 4.
By preventing Washing The clover
mulch breaks the force OF the hard
beating rains, while roots hold the soil
in a mat as it were. thus preventing it
from washing 5. As a green manure.
Perhaps no crop is so valuable for turn
ing under in green stage, as clover. In
| addition to the immense amount of
rich vegetable matter in its abundant
roots, the plant inself is extremely rich
in all the materials necessary to the
healthful growth of succeeding crops
Canada Farmer.