The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-03-05
a GUARDIAN CROP.
Glover VIII Bring Good Luck, Even IF /
Is Not Four-Leayed.

Glover VIII Bring Good Luck, Even IF 1t
Is Not Four-Leayed.
One of the leading objections to a
light soil IS its inability to retain soluble
fertilizers, especially when applied in
quantities sufficient for the production
of a cereal crop. Nitrate of soda, for
example, teaches through the loose
earth. and finding its way into the
natural or artificial drainage channels,
is soon carried ont OF the soil, and away
from the crop sorely in need of this
plant food. Ii is upon these light.
leachv soils that clover plays its most
important role. This plant has a vast
root system. and sufficient area Of
foliage to manufacture all the crude
materials gathered from the soil into Il
form To contribute TO growth. Any
manure of the most soluble kind, is
uuicklv caught up and changed into Il
comparatively insOluble form. The
clover plant becomes Il guardian to any
fertilizing material that may be in
rusted to a loose soil. Another tortu-
nate characteristic of this plant
3 is its continuous growth through
out the whole season. 1t is Il we'll
established fact that the exceedingly
valuable and soluble compounds of nj
troren are most abundantlv formed in
the soil during the hot months of mid
summer and early autumn. At this
time the cereal crops are harvested. with
the exception OF corn. If the field is
bare. the is no doubt that much fer
tilitv is lost whenever Il rain comes to
wash the soil of its richness. On the
other hand. clover fi0urisheS at this sea-
son, and guards the sol from this loss
f,om notification and leakage. a large
part of the. fertility is stored up in the
leaves and ,stemS, and goes into the hay
barn. but an equal portion has remained
in and on the sod as roots and Stubble,
and will become plant food for the next
crop, through the slow processes OF de-
cav In other words, the clover plano
has transformed large quantity of fer
tility from a very soluble condition. into
a stable state. readily held by the leachy
soil. The compounds of nitrogen, pot
ash, and phoSphoric acid, that have
been removed in the hay, should find
their WAY back To the soil in the
barn-yard manure The long con-
tinued experiments az RothamSted, to
which farmers can n0. be too frequently
referred. show that clover crop re-
Guires three times as mUch nitrogen for
is growth as does crop OF wheat. In
the face of this. the same experiments
also teach that clover is especially ben
esicial as Il crop to Immediately precede
one of wheat. In explanation of this
apparent contradiction, we need TO re-
member titat clover not only husbands
the fertility of the soil, but gets it into
place AID condition to specially favor
the growtl, OF the wheat plant. The
field grab's have only 4 few weeks 20
perfect tb.ir growth. and no time to
seek after 7ood not close at hand. They
do not have the advantage of growing
n the mi summer and early autumn,
when, through soil-fermentation. the
earth has its largest ready supply of
plant food We see good reasons for a
irm adherence to the old belief. that
clover sect is the best manure that can
be applied 70 loose soil. Let US grow
more cloyer. Even If it Is not four
leaved it will bring good luck. y
american IgrScultUriSt.