Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-09-23
farmfr's Column.
SPEED THE PL0W.'
Red Glover,

The C2orer leaf, published by the
Birdsell Manufacturing Co., of South
Bend, Ind, has very interesting and
we'll written article upon Red Glover,
from Prof. ". J. Beal, of the State
Agricultural College. We take the
following extracts from the article:
":Clover seed in the best manure
that farmer can USE All plants
draw much Of their food from the
atmosphere, and Of those used in
agriculture none reeSces ded by clover
in the large proportion Of nutriment
thus derived. In this respect other
leguminous crops are much like red
clover. Here We include ali the clovers,
yetches, beans, peas, saintfoin, lupins,
and lucern or alfalfa.
"To keep up the fertility Of our soil
we must restore to it phosphoric acid,
potash nitrogen and other substances
which are found in farm crops. OF
the three very important and valuable
substances just named, nitrogen is the
most precious and costly to obtain. In
various places there are abundant sup
Piles Of potash and phosphoric acid.
As may be said, these are in sight.
Agricultural chemists are now study
ing on the problem Of the future sup
ply Of nitrogen for agricultural pur-
poses. So far, clover seems to be the
important factor in this problem.
"Whole crops of clover are often
plowed under, to restore or to keep
up the fertility of the soil, but am
safe in saying that it has been proven
better practice to cut off the clover:
feed it, and use the manure. than to
pillow under the whole crop In other
words, for various reasons, all of which
may not seem plain it has been shown
that blowing under a clover stubble is
followed by about as good results
(often better as though the whole
crop was turned under Again,
Velcker shows that Land on which
clover has been sown for seed in the
preceding year, yields IA better crops of
wheat than it does when the clover is
mown twice for hay. or even once only,
and afterwards fed of BY sheep
lean hardly do better than give here
some of the conclusions of DR.. N9lcker
in regard to the great value of clover.
I find these in the Journal of the
Royal Agricultural Society, of Eng
land, for 1868, on page 1922:
.'First.-A good crop of clover re
moves from the soil more potash,
phosphoric acid, lime and other min
eral matter, which enter into the com
crops, tnan any oCTef crop 'd,I:s'T;T'TT---T,
grown in this country.
''Second-There is fully three times
as much nitrogen i'll crop of clover
os in the average produce Of the grain
and straw Of wheat per acre.
''Third.-Clover is an excellent
preparatory crop for wheat.
"Fourth.-During the growth Of
clover large amount of heterogeneous
matter accumulates in the soil.
''Fifth.-This accumulation, which
is greatest in the surface soil, is due
to decaying leaves dropped during the
growth of clover, and to an abundance
Of roots, containing, when dry, from
Ii to ? per cent. of nitrogen.
"Sixth, -The clover roots are
stronger and also more numerous, and
and hence more leaves fall on the
ground when clover is grown for seed
than when it is mown for hay; in con
sequence, more nitrogen is left after
clover seed than after hay.
"Seventh.-This crop causes large
accumulation of heterogeneous matters,
which are gradually changed in the
soil to nitrates.
''Eight.-Clover not only provides
an abundance Of heterogeneous food but
delivers this food in a ready available
power Gas nitrates) more gradually
and continuously and with a great
deal more certainty of a good result. /
than such food can be applied to the
land in the shap of heterogeneous top
dressings.
''The above conlusons are some
what condensed, but it would be well
for every farmer to cut them out and |
post them up where he could read |
them daily, till they could be indelibIy
fixed in his mind"
Young pigs just weaned are some
times over-fed in the desire to give