The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1875-11-19
Uonre, farm ard Garden
cIoverseed no, an Eshausting Crop.


cIoyerseed not an EHhausting Crop.
It is well understood that most plants
exhaust the fertility of the soil more in
perfecting their seed than in growing
their other portions-leaf, stems and
roots. This is true of wheat, rye, bar
ley, and probably of all the grains, as
also Of timothy and other grasses. The
experience of farmers accords with the
deductions of science in this particular;
but a correspondent of the NY. Herald,
doubtless reasoning from analogy, makes
thesem statement respecting clover, and
cautions farmers not TO grow too much
clover seed lest their lands should be i'm
poverished. We do not, of course, dis
pute that clover seed takes from the soil
some important fertilizing elements; but
their loss is moIe than compensated for
by other advantages, and clover, even
when grown for seed, possibly chiefly
when grown thus, is ole of the best
ameliorating and renovating crops. The
caution to farmers not to grow clover
seed is contradicted by universal expert
enee, and may safely he set down as bad
advice.
A crop of clover seed is rarely more
than three to four bushels per acre, often
not more than two bushels. The one
hundred to two hundred pounds of seed
thus abstracted from the soil is not any
more exhaustive of fertility than the
same weight of wheat, or even of oats.
Four bushels of wheat would possibly
sell, on an average, for from S. to Sc
Four bushels of clover seed are just as
easily worth $40 to SIS. Something must
be sold from the land. Why not prefer
those crops which bring the most income
with the least exhaustion of the soil!
But the wheat and oats sold has main
Iy come from the soil, and from the val
uable surface soil at that Glover Is a
renoyating crop, mainly because it de-
rives a large portion of its growth from
the air, while its long, deep roots strike
into the subsoil, admitting light and air,
and heat, and also bringing from the
subsoil mineral elements of fertility,
which other plants would be unable to
reach. During the second growth OF
clover, from June to September, on
which its seed is perfected, It's roots strike
deeper, and make larger growth than
il the clover is eaten or mown down.
The advantage of a dense shade over the
ground during the hot summer months is
also considerable, aad probably this, in
itself, offsets the fertility removed in the
clover seed. No doubt the gain would
be still greater if clover were allowed to
seed, and then were all plowed under,
or left TO fall back into the ground. Bat
this could be said quite as truly of any
other crop, as of clover seed. and with
propriety of crops which are more ex.
haustive, and whose seed is not SO val
liable. 1t seems almost laughabfe to
hear newspaper writers complaining OF
farmers for not using clover seed, worth
six dollars bushel, for manure, when
any. such use of far less expensive grains
would be universally condemned as
wastefuL 1t would be truer economy
to save the clover seed, and, lest the soil
should become sterile, SOW two or three
bushels of wheat per acre as manure
To cuch nonsanSa at,d ,rorca will fhao
rizing ON practical subjects lead writers
for the agricultural press.
We do not underrate the importance
of clover seed, which we believe the
cheapest and best manure American
farmers ever used, but in saving it evel
SO carefully, much of it will fall upon the
ground. This scattered clover seed is by
no means lost, but will help the clover
catch In after years, whenever the neld
is re-seeded. This is, possibly, another
reason why farmers who SOW clover seed
and sell large amounts every year, are
always becoming rich. No man can grow
and sell clover seed without giving his
own farm good seeding. He cannot
get clover to seed without having thf
largest growth of clover roots of which
the soil is capable, nor without having
clover UNFORTUNATELY worth but little
for selling, but excellent food for stock,
and making rich and good manure.
IRON VERSUS WooD ON THE FARM