The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-11-13
Vbe EARN.
GRASSES FOR THE SOUTH AND
HOW TO CULTIVATE THEM.
An Essay Read Before the South
Carolina Agricultural and Ne
chanical Society and State
Grange by D. P. Duncan.
Esq Q fUnion County.
Contiure9 from last weck,. J

trying to build up and improve a home in
this deer cid sunny South-for with allthy
faults we love the still"-yet it is sometimes
a struggle to keep down a harsh feeling to-
wards that generation which the country's
history tells of: ''One generation spending
its life pulling down, the next one at the
bottom round 70 build up again"
Pardon me for reading from that history:
''The art OF manuring land i. little known
and less practiced. The bulk Of planters,
RELYING on the fertility Of the sill, seldom
planting but what is good, and changing
lands when it begins to fall for that which
is fresh, seldom gives themselves much trou-
BILE to keep their fields in heart. Beds of
compost are rare. Some twenty years from
this writing (some seventy-fve years ago.
there was no fixed price in Charleston for
manures, and it was often given to the first
who offered to carry 1t off"
Could such a process give Us any other
sequel! And the all absorbing question to
every wide awake farmer is, what is the
quickest, surest and cheapest route by which
| can recuperate these old worn lands, make
a competency for myself and family, and
leave latter something otherwise than gull
lies? NV answer would be, our own native
green crops and the artificial grasses.
lst. Whilst strictly speaking it is not
properly a grass, it is generally accepted
and treated as such, and that is red clover.
It's uses are threefold-as a fertilizer, q hay
maker and a grazer. As a fertilizer | am
not prepared Or competent to throw much
light, that is as to its scientific or chemical
action. You are we'll aware that Prof.
Voelcker has been for many years making
the clover plant the subject of a special
study. From an abstract Of a late lecture
Of the Professor, published in the COuntru
Gentleman, | quote as follows:
'In connection with other field expert
mcnts, one vas undertaken to investigate
the causes Of the benefit of growing clover
as a preparatiye crop for wheat. 1t is we'll
known IN England that if farmers can sue
Ceed in growing a good crop Of clover, they
are almost certain Of getting a good paying
crop of wheat. All agricultural matters de-
pend upon each other. If we can enable
the farmer to produce good crops of clover,
we shall place him in the very best position
to obtain paying crops of grain. Hence it
i. concluded that the best preparation, the
very best manure, is a good crop Of clover.
we shall place hin in the very best position
to obtain paying crops Of grain. Hence it
is concluded that the best preparation, the
very pest manure is a good crow of clover.
Now, at the first, nothing seems more absurd
or contradictory than to say you can remove
q very large quantity Of both mineral and or
ganic food from the soil and yet make it
more productive, as in the case of clover.
Nevertheless it is Il fact that the larger the
amount of mineral matter you may remove
IN a crop of clover. and the larger the
amount OF nitrogen that is carried of in the
crop of clover hay. the richer the land be-
comes
The explanation, as | understand it, is
that by growing clover a vast amount of
mineral matter is brought within reach, and
rendered available to the roots of the grain
crops that otherwise would remain in a
locked up condition. Glover. by means of
its long roots, penetrateS a large mass of
soil. 1t gathers up, so to speak, the phos-
phoric acid and the potash disseminate
throughout the soil, and when the land is
ploughed and the roots left in the surface
they leave in an available condition the
Vulnerable substances which the wheat plant
requires; and whilst a large amount of such
matter is removed in clover, still the amount
rendered available and left for the succeed.
ing crop of grain is very much larger than
the quantity removed in the clover hay.
Glover protects the surface, hence it may
be called a mulch. A thick mat of clover
prevents the escape from the earth of fer
properties that would otherwise be
wasted. We all know if a common board is
- oh II SiOuIN " q lCh AOAibos anu /
60 matter how poor the soil, profitable
amount of fertilizing material will accumu-
under the board. just this way does the
clover plant bring up barren, worn-out
land to a producing state. Possibly as
humus is kept back to the earth in
this way as in drawn from the air by the
leaves Of the plants.
Now, to come on this subject, it seems to
be the greatest complain; from our people
clover that it won't grow on poor
and. Well that is so, and neither will any
else that is of any value. I have of
ten heard and resd of things lone on Gland
wouldn't sprout peas but | could
never do it. We have none of that kind Of
land yet | have never found any one who
failed with clover but what lie had. as
IS usually done, sown it with small grain.
The grain had appropriated all the plant
food that was available, when its shade was
away the little sickly clover plants