Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1877-09-27
The farm and fiteside.
CLOVER AND GRASSES.


An Essay read before the Summer Meeting of the
State Grange, at Anderson, S. c., on the 10Th OF
August, prepared by a committee of Newberry
Pomona Grange.
The subject of growing grasses at the South
is of such vital Importance, your committee
feel that it is impossible to discuss the subject
as fully as it merits. The experience of your
committee is that red clover on clay upland
and stiff bottom lands can be grown with
greater profit than any other crop. In order
that the hay crop of the United States may
be known, we copy from the Hay, Straw and
Grain Reporter:
The aggregate reported value of all farm
products in the United States for 1870, was
S2,447, ,538,658; but as this includes additions
to stock, it is probably too high. Now, the
hay crop for that year-that is, the grass dried
and cured for use, solids reported at over
100000 tons. This, at half the selling
price in large cities, would amount to S4O5,-
100000, and is far greater than the aggregate
home value of the cotton crop or any other
crop. But the cured hay is but portion of
the grass crop. The other portion is used on
the ground, and it requires considerable CAL
culation to get at the value so used, even in
the toughest way.
In the first place, live stock, including
horned cattle, horses, sheep, swine, &C., to
the value of $1,525, ,O0O, 900, were fed from it
that year. Averaging the lives of these at
five years, we have one-6fth of the sum as
representing the grass fed to them in 1870,
viz 1906, 100000. Next, we find the value
of the animals slaughtered for food in that
year to be $3OO,OOO,0OO, and, as this is an an
nual product, the whole of it will, for the pres
ent, be credited to the grass crop. Next, we
find that the butter crop Of 1870, was 514,'
100000 pounds, which, at the low average of
25 cents, amounts to $l28,000,000, and this
goes to the credit of grass. Next, we have
335, 900, 900 gallons of milk, which, averaged
at the low estimate of 10 cents per gallon,
adds $25,000,000 more and, finally, 53,OOO,-
900 pounds of cheese at 10 cents, adding over
S5,O0O,0OO to the total credits to the grass of
1870, which aggregate $S87,000,0O0. Now,
let us add to the value of the hay crop as
given above, viz: $3.50, 100000, and We have
grand total for hay and the products of
grass consumed on the ground, amounting to
81 ,292, 100000! This is, of course, subject to
deductions, as the meat, butter, milk, cheese
and wool producing animals consumed other
food besides grass and hay. To make ample
allowance for this we deduct the entire value
of the corn and oat crop of 1870, estimated
at $270, 100000, and this leaves remainder
of 81, ,0S2 ,O00,0 900, to be credited to the hay
and grass crop of that year, when the report
ed aggregate of all farm products was $2,-
AL, ,528,658. If our estimates make even
the toughest approach to accuracy, the value
of that crop was two. o.6fths of the aggregate
value of all farm products, and hence we may
infer that two. .6fths of the capital then invest.
ed in agricultural pursuits, was devoted to
the grass crop, and this, in the United States,
in round numbers is 81, ,575, 100000.
Considering the grasses an important crop,
we give our experience as we'll as observation
in growing red clover, demonstrating beyond
all controversy that on land containing a
large per centage of clay as we'll as stiff bot
tom lands, not subject to overflow, or, in 9th
er words, number one wheat land, is more re-
munerative than the same lands planted in
any other crop; and to prove this, our far.
mers are increasing the area annually sown
down in clover; in fact, an enterprising far.
mer of our county remarked few days ago
that he was disgusted with clover patch, but
instead of an acre or two he wished to engage
seventy.6ve pounds of seed for his fall sowing.
Our farmers are beginning to realize the
Importance of the grasses, and when it be
comes general, there will be marked i'm.
provement in our stock, and the surplus will
find ready market in our cities, now fur
nished by the East.
A subject worthy of earnest consideration,
in connection with the cultivation of clover,
is the probability that the growth of this
plant removes from the atmosphere many OF
those impurities which are classed under the
name of malaria or masma, and which are
acknowledged to be the cause of fever. 1t is
we'll remembered that some learned observers
in Holland noticed dminution aud often
disappearance of miasmatic diseases as
bilious, remittent and intermittent fevers-in
localities where the common sunhower grew
in abundance. This, no doubt, is owing to
the large size and vast numbers of the flow
ers feeding upon those efiuvia which, when
inhaled, are 80 pernicious to the human fami.
". The experiment has been tried in this
country, but the seed of the sunfower is OF
such limited use, that the crop has never been
sufficiently large to be followed by satisfac
tory results. Now, it is well-known fact
that the family of luguminous plants, OF
which clover, beans and peas are members,
derive nearly all their nourishment from the
atmosphere. johnson, in his agricultural
chemistry, says: "DeSaussure found that two
beans, when caused to vegetate in the open
air on pounded flints, doubled the weight Of
the carbon they originally contained. Under
similar circumstances Boussingault found the
seeds of trefoil (clover) increased in weigh
two and a half times" The source Of the
carbon in these cases cannot be doubted. II
was the air. These seed, then in terminating
not only derived their nourishment from the
atmosphere, but that nourishment was car.
bon. Carbon exists in the atmosphere in the
form of carbonc acid gas. When it is pure,
no animal can live in it but moment. The
atmosphere that contains one.ninth of its
bulk in carbonic acid gas is unfit for respira.
ton. 1t follows, then, that the air is unwhole.
some in proportion with the quantity of the
gas contained in it, and those plants which
feed the most greedily upon carbon are the
most conducive to health. Glover, being Of
the family of the leguminose and remarkable
with all the other members of the family for
drawing its nourshment from the surround.
ing air, and that nourishment being carbonic
acid gas, the destroyer of our ability to resist
the influence of fever.poson, it behooves the
people to give their serious attention to its
cultivation, as crop alike beneficial to their
health and general prosperity. We recon-
mend that inquiries be put on foot to ascer'
tain whether or not those sections Of country
where clover is largely cultivated are re-