Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-03-25


elements as the top), to enrich the
soil. But the clover simply brings
up the potash and phosphates FROM a
depth in the subsoil, below the reach
of common crops. Ii clover be fed
on the farm and the manure returned
to the fields, or if it be turned under
as green dressing, the surface soil
is enriched by the material that the
clover brought up from the subsoil.
>Leguminous plants, but especially
the clover-the king of manurdi crops
draw their main supplyyof soil food
from the deep subsoil, and by their
growth and decay they accumulate
these salts in the surface soil. ] call
them the soil pumps to pump the
resources of the subsoil up to the
surface soil, where it is stored for the
use of surface feeders likehe cereals.
When the clover is buried in the
surface soil it has added to this soil
mineral matter which was not there
before; it affords positive increase
to the surface soil not only Of nitro
gen and other accumulated air food,
but also of potash, lime, magnesia
and phosphates for the use Of subse-
quent crops. This wonderful power
of clover to drink in from the air
above, and to pump up from this
deeper soil beneath, all the elements
so essential to the development of
cereals, and which they unaidcd are
so powerless to secure, explains why
clover is such an excellent prepara.
tive for a wheat crop. Much of the
benefit is secured by what the scythe
leaves, viz: the clover stubble and
roots; but when the whole crop is
buried in the soil, the effect is aston
ishing.
! SOW clover seed, after the soil
has fairly settled and in good order
to work, because | think the proper
time to SOW any seed or grain is
when the season and the soil are in
the proper condition to germinate
the seed and give it good, healthy
growth. have no fear of frost kill
ing young clover, at least in the
sense that it kills beans or corn. |
have known heavy frosts and freez-
ing to raise it out of the ground
when the plants were just fairly up.
/ once sowed field of clover very
early, and favorable weather followed
so that the plants were up nicely,
and a heavy frost and freeze raised
the young plants up from three quar-
tcrs to one inch, and after it thawed
out the young plants lay fiat on the
ground, exposing their roots as above
stated. But a shower of rain and
favorable weather afterwards saved
sufficient of the plants to make fair
stand but none were killed by the
frost other than by raising it out of
the ground, and yet have to learn
that frost will kill young clover in
any other way. have often exam
ined the young clover otter severe
frosts and never saw any frost bitten.
1t has been the rule with many to
SOW clover seed in the snow in Feb
ruary. The reason given for it is,
that when the snow thaws the seed
will sink into the ground enough TO
secure growth. The practice is born
OF laziness, and not founded on good
reasoning and is wasteful. This
practice is followed by many failures
To get n stand. Should there be no
failure, however, the chances are in
favor of an early start, and that the
plants will be we'll advanced, so as
not TO be killed out by the summer
heat and drouth. Every clover raiser
knows, though, that the most critical
period of the clover plant is just after
termination. IL then n freeze comes,
; the clover crop Is a failure. We
used to follow the custom of our
fathers in this matter, but after two
failures in three years we concluded
there must be better way or clover
crop was a most uncertain quantity.
Since adopting our present time
and manner of sowing we have never
4 failed on clover crop. We never
SOW before the 10th or middle of
April. BY deferring until that time
we avoid, first, the probability of a
freeze at the critical point in the life
of the clover plant. BY that time
the wheat and barley land is read Y
for the harrow. After it has been
we'll narrowed we have n nice seed
bed of fresh, mellow ground for the
clover and timothy seed, which we
SOW together for pasture or hay. On
this fresh seed bed we get prompt,
even, vigorous growth, and we find
that by the last of May our clover is
rs large and better rooted than that
sowed on the snow in February.
The clover comes nm evenlv "A