St. Landry democrat., 1878-04-06
FARM AND HOME.
Glover dRne Cheapest Fertilizer.

Clever lhe Cheapest Fertilizer,
Thomas Maddox.sends to the America
Farmer the following timely suggestion
to his brother farmers:
Leibig says "that in soil where ther
is no sulphurie acid, clover will no
grow" Ground plaster is the cheapes
and most reliable mode of applying
sulphuric acid to the soil. But many o
our farmers use little or no plaster. Thi
is one reason why clover fails so often.
Our farmers do not prize clover as i
ought to be priced; enough clover is no
> sown; when sown it is not properly man
aged; it is grazed too much.
The value of clover, as a renovatOr, il
Z in proportion to the growth of the stall
and the growth of the root. If the young
.clover is tramped by stock, or grazed of
the development of the plant is hindered
It graeed too closely, clover, instead O.
renevating the soil, may prove to be ar
exhauster.
Glover is biennial plant; it attain'
its fullest growth the second June after
sowing lis better than it is in the third
or fourth, or any subsequent year.
The shade of the clover, or any
ether shade, greatly increases the pro-
ductive power of the land; the full
grown roots contribute probably even
more largely to the. renovation of the
soil. 1t is estimated that in well-set
clover field there are three tons of clover
roots to the acre. Early and close graz
ing may and will prevent the growth OF
the stalk and the root.
The application of bushel Of plaster,
y bushel of salt, bushel of ashes, and
one hundred pounds of ground bore to
the acre, broadcast, before sowing wheat,
or rye, or oats, would increase the grain
crop, and secure crop of clover. A
larger quantity of ashes and bones would
pay better.
The Stock Journal estimates the value
OF timothy to clover hay as eleven is to
eighteen, for the formation of fat.
From one to five bushels of clover
seed is made to the acre. Peter New
conner, neighbor, made last year one
hundred and fifty bushels of clover.seed
on farm of one hundred and fifty acres
There are two varieties of clover. The
larger, sapling variety, ripens about the
10th July and, therefore, may be mixed
with timothy for hay. The smaller
variety ripens about the middle of June,
when it ought to be made into hay, after
which, if not pastured, seed can be made,
To make seed of the large clover it must
not be grazed after the first of June. It
is claimed that the large variety is the
better fertilizer, because the stalk is
longer, the root is longer; and the pas
ture is more valuable, because the second
crop does not salivate horses. The second
is the seed.producing crop of the smaller
variety.
1fevery acre of cleared land in Mary
land were set in clover, and not grazed
until the first crop of the second year
was matured, the crops of wheat, of corn,
of rye, of potatoes, and OF tobacco, would
soon be doubled. The increase in the
clover hay, and clover seed, in addition
to the increase of the other clops, would
pay our farmers well. Glover is the
cheapest, the most reliable of all fertili.
zers, and yet you may ride from farm to
farm in some sections of our state and
OF see as much clover in ten miles as
you ought to see in one. Our farmers
have eyes, but they see not" the
value of clover.
Maryland is clover state it ought to
make clover-seed for export, yet our
farmers send thousands of dollars every
year out of the state to buy clover-seed.
One hundred pounds OF pure ground pones cost rs
Jne gallon OF clover sAed costs. 90
bushel OF plaster, one Of salt, one OF ashes,
"