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

NOW, at nrSt sight, nothing seems more
absurd or contradictory than to say you
can remove q very large quantity of both
mineral and organic food from tho soil
and yet make it more productive, ~, in
the case of clover. Nevertheless il III q
fact that the larger the amount Of miner.
nl matter you may remove in a crop Of
clover, and the larger amount Of nitrogen
that is carried off in the crop of clover
hay the richer the land becomes"
| The explanation, as 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-cp condition. Glover, by
means Of its long roots penetrates large
mass OF soil. 1t gathers up, so to speak
the phosphoric acid and the potash dis
seminated Throughout the soil, and when
the land is ploughed and the roots left in
the surface they 'cavein an available con-
dition the mineral substances which the
| wheat plant requires; and whilst large
amount of such matter is removed in
clover, atill tho 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 the escape from the earth
of fert;li2ing properties that would other
wise be wasted We all know if COM
mon board is left O., the ground for few
months, and no matter how Poor :!i5 soil,
profitable amount of fertilizing materi.
al will accumulate under the board.
Just this way does the clover plant bring
| A,S To-, ~,
state. Possibly as much humus ia kept
from the air by the leaves of the plants.
Now, to come home on this subject, it
seems to be the greatest complaint from
our people against clover that it won't
grow on poor land. We'll that is 80, and
neither will anything else that is of any
value. havo often heard and read of
things done on Gland that wouldn't
sprout peas" but I could never do it.
| We have mono 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, 'mv
land won't make clover"
| Every mau that reads is aware of the
estimate put upon clover as fertilizer
throughout Europe, and many Of our
people saw during the war what it iiad
and was doing for Virginia and Mary
land. But Iny time will not allow me to
go into any details as to these two sec
tions.
Now, will be pardoned for speaking
Of my own experience, fol Z. is ell real
ly can say l 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 we'll ploughed and
narrowed, q 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 as pesture. don't believe if it
had been left alone it would have reached
/ up high enough to have been cut as hay
without o 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 ITS the said
patch has been cultivated, first in grain
and then in cotton, being fertilized at o
cost of about $3.50 per acre each year.
The crop this year was about thirty y-seven
bushels of wheat; the year bafore it was
: thre1 bales of cotton. The past season,
as we say, was "bad year, for wheat
!: il our neighborhood. The same quail
ty of land cleared about the same time
made an average of ave bushels per
acre.
Now am satisfied that the increase OF
the crop has always paid for the manure
used, and VIC have three acres u land
that made 500 pounds seed cotton now
making just as easily 1900 pounds
How much that clover sod had to do as
the base of this fertility you have the
facts and can Judge.
In 1873 sowed three and half acres
in barely in September, and brushed in
clover. I fed all the barely green but
aboutan acre and quarter, which thrash
ed outtwenty-f bushels. For three years
the patch wee Kept in clover, -ecs:yiHs
once a 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
| eSSouu Crop Ue6uu w seeu ZIG uOSe were
allowed to run at will on it until heavy
frost. In September, 1915, the clover
sod was turned with two horse plough
! piougied again with small pioughs i5j
bushels Of cotton seed that had been
stables was applied, aud the patch again
sowed in barely. 1t was fed The same
way, and about the same amount OF land
I throshed ont fiffv huehals ood fraot;nn
Did the clover make the difference7
| My experience .s to time of sowing il
.hat September is our month. l have
tried several times sowing in the spring
In February of 1876, i sowed clover on
| field of twenty acres that had been sowed
the fell before, or rather, should say
the winter, for 1t had been in cotton and
oats. The books said cow just aflNr q
rain or during light shower. It had
been raining for about week or mora
and one evening after q hard shower, thai
/ thought to be "the clearing off one" /
took patent sowcr and put down my
SEED. In about an hour there came what
you call atrash.mover, and don't think
itcould have been many days before my
clover seed were listening to what the
wild waves are saying" for all g q
stand l saved out Of the twenty was
about an acre, whica was sort Of basin
like spot, the rest being just rolling
enough to wash in a heavy rain.
/ Cd. My experience as grazer is ra.
thcr different from what have henrd
i from othera For hogs. If thsEa is9 CO,
chard gr..ss with it, think there is
nothing better than clover. have
sed hogs that Melted two hundred and