The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-11-13

| ing crops of grain. Hence it IS conclu'
ded that the best preparation, the very
best manure, is good crop of clover
Now, at first sight, nothing seems more
absurd or contradictory than to say you
can remove very large quantity OF both
mineral and organic food from the soil
and yet make it more productive, as IN
the case of clover. Nevertheless it is a
fact that the larger the amount Of miner,
al matter you may remove in a crop OF
clover, and the larger amount of nitrogen
that is carried off in the crop OF clover
bay the richer the land becomes"
The explanation, as I understand it, IS
that by growing clover vast amount OF
mineral matter is brought within reach,
and rendered available to the roots OF the
grain crops that otherwise would remain
in q locked.up condition. Clover, by
means of its long roots penetrates large
mass of soil. It gathers up, so to speak
the phosphoric acid and the potash dis
seminated thoughout the soil, and when
the land is ploughed and the roots left in
the surface they leave in an available con-
dition the mineral substances which the
wheat plant requires; and whilst large
amount of such matter is removed in
clover. still the amount rendered availa-
Bile and left for the succeeding crop of
grain is very much larger than the guam
tity removed in the clover hay.
Clover protects the surface, hence it
may be called mulch. A thick mat OF
clover prevents che escape from the earth
OF fertilizing properties that would other
wise be wasted. We all know if com
mon board is left on the ground for few
months, and no matter how poor the soil /,
a profitable amount of fertilizing nlateri-
al will accumulate under the board.
Just this way does the clover plant bring
up barren, worn-out land to producing
state. Possibly as much humus is kept
back to the earth in this way as is drawn
from the air by the leaves Of the plants.
Now, to come home on this subject, i
seems to be the greatest complaint from
our people against clover that it won't
grow on poor land. Well that is so, and
neither will anything else that is of any
value. | have often heard and read of
things done on Gland that wouldn't
sprout peas" but I could never do it.
We have none of that kind of land, yet ]
have never found any one who had failed
with clover but what he had, as is usually
done, sown it with small grain. The
grain appropriated all the plant food
that was available, and when its shade
was taken away the little sickly clover
plants were too weak to stand the hot
June suns. Hence the verdict, my
land won't make clover"
Every man that reads is aware of the
estimate put upon clover as a fertilizer
throughout Europe, and many of our
people saw during the war what it had
and was doing for Virginia and Mary
land. But my time will not allow me to
go into any details as to these two Sec
tions.
Now, 1 will be pardoned for speaking
of my own experience, for it is all real
" can say know practically. In 1868
/ cleared up, as we may say, three acres
of pine old field that with favorable
seasons and good cultivation would make
about 500 pounds seed cotton per acre.
Having been pretty well ploughed and
narrowed, small amount of rotted cot
ton seed and stable manure was applied,
and clover, orchard grass and timothy
sown. For four years this patch was
kept rs pasture. | don't believe if it
| had been left alone it would have reached
up high enough to have been cut as hay
without heavy top dressing, and yet in
the spring or summer it was just the
place for horse, mare, colt, or for the
mules an hour or two on Sundays. After
the first two years the timothy was all
gone, little clover left, and the orchard
grass ruled supreme. Since 1878 the said
patch has been cultivated, first in grain
and then in cotton, being fertilized at q
cost of about $3.50 per acre each year.
The crop this year was about thirty.seven
bushels of wheat; the year before it was
three bales of cotton. The past season,
as we say, was "bad year, for wheat
in our neighborhood. The same quail
ty of land cleared about the same time
made all average of ive bushels per
acre.
Now am satisfied that the increase OF
the crop has always paid for the manure
used, and VIC have three acres of land
that made 500 pounds seed cotton now
making just rs easily 1000 pounds
How much that clover sod had to do as
the base of this fertility you have the
facts and can judge.
In 1873 I sowed three and half acres
in barely in September, and brushed in
clover. I fed all the barely green but
about an acre and quarter, which thrash
ed out twenty-fv bushels. For three years
the patch was kept in clover, receiving
once top dressing of plaster and one Of
acid phosphate. The first crop each
year of clover hay averaged two large
wagon loads per acre. As soon as the
second crop began to seed the hogs were
allowed to run at will on it until heavy
frost. In September, 1876, the clover
sod was turned with two horse plough
ploughed again with small ploughs 15C
bushels of cotton seed that had been
killed by being kept few weeks in the
stables was applied, and the patch again
sowed in barely. 1t was fed the same
way, and about the same amount of land
thrashed out fifty bushels and fraction
Did the clover make the difference?
My experience as to time of sowing is
that September is our month. | have
tried several times sowing in the spring
Tn February of 1876 sowed clover on q
field of twenty acres that had been sowed
the fall before, or rather, should say
the winter, for it had been in cotton and
oats. The books said SOW just after 8
! rain or during q light shower. It had
been raining for about week or more
and one evening after a hard shower, that
I thought to be "the clearing off one,"
took patent sowcr and put down my
seed. In about an hour there came what
you call trash mover, and don't think
it could have been many days before my
clover seed were listening to what the
wild waves are saying" for all of o
stand / saved out Of the twenty was
about an acre, which was sort of basin
like spot, the rest being just rolling
| nnou0h IN wash i'm a heavy rain