The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1878-11-23
Clover.

The following IS taken from an ad-
dress delivered by the Hon. William
Fullerton before an agricultural meet
ing at Culpepper. Virginia, in 1876.
and is we'll worth consideration by
California farmers. He said:
But ] must speak more patiently Of
clover. 1t is called. and probably so,
''the sheet anchor of American husban-
dry. Tco much cannot be said in It's
praise. 1t is capable of doing more to
bring your impoverished lands to
high ctate of cultivation with less ex-
pense than any one other agency. It's
universal use as restoring crop would
in few years make Virginia as cell
cbrated for her agriculture as she has
ever been for her statesmen. And inst
in proportion as the farmer cnltivstes
this plant will he be relieved from the
necessity of purchasing commercial
fertilizers to enrich his land. Whist
there is no system Of cultivation which
will enable the farmer to keep up the
fcrtality Of his land without resorting
to such agencies. yet the use Of clover
will 90 very far toward accomplishing
it.
A wriler in one of the prominent
farm journals. in speaking Of clover,
says:
"A few pounds of diminutivc seed
furnish machinery to absorb from the
atmosphere and pump out Of the earth
the elements of fertility needed to re-
place what our wasteful and improve
dent predecessors have expended.
sulemnly believe that in the bengign
providence Of God clover is to be the
Moses which is to deliver Southern ag-
reculturists from the bondage of pow
erty and debt by restoring our wasted
and worn Inheritance to its oaiginal
fertality.'
This language is not too strong.
Glover does for the land what no other
plant can. 1t is like the cleaner Of
old; it gathers up and make use OF
what is lost. Nitrogen in the form of
nitric acid, one Of the most important
and expensive elements which enter
into the growth of our crops. descends
by the action of rains. 90 far into the
soil as to be beyond the reach of ordi-
nary plants The roots of the clover
plants are so many messengers to bring
it back to the surface again.
The coral insect does not more effsc-
tually extract from the waters of the
sea the material which enables it to
construct the wrecking reef than does
the clover plant seek out and garner
plant food from earth aud air for mans
use. And then ~ ifto indicate what
great office it was designed to perform
in the economy Of nature. viz: to pre-
rare the way for other lite. it refuses
to consume this ingathercd nutriment,
bat dies and leaves it for the nourish-
ment Of the succeeding crops. It is
this fact that has led farmers to say
that their lands. where clover had
grown in great luxuriancc, but refused
to grow longer. was clover sick In
other words. it had performed its func-
tions. accomplished the great object OF
its life, and then, like the silk worm.
died.
There is nothing truer in nature than
that the clover plant. whilst drawing
largely upon the richness Of the soil
for its own eustenence, leaves the earth
far richer in plan food than it found il.
And this marvellous feat is by o skill
peculiarly its own. for the wit Of man
never has accomplished it. Science
hes been for years engaged in trying
to discover some inexpensive method
by which the nitrogen Of the air could
DC forced iuto combination with other
substances % a. to be used in cultivat-
ing the earth. Il has never been &C
complished. That it will be do not
doubt. for il would bs bold man to
set limit to mans discoveries. He
that is successful in this field OF ex-
pertinent will be the worlds bene-
factor, for lie will bestow upon it price
less hOOn