The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-03-07
A GUARDIAN CROP.


Glover VIII Bring Good Luck, Even If II
Is Not Four-Leaved.
One of the leading objections to
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 out of the soil, and away
from the crop sorely in need of this
plant food. 1t is upon these light,
leachy 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 a
form to contribute to growth. ANY
manure of the most soluble kind, is
quickly caught up and changed into a
comparatively insoluble form. The
clover plant becomes q guardian to any
fertilizing material that may be in
trusted to loose soil. Another tortu-
nate characteristic of this plant
is its continuous growth through
out the whole season. 1t is a we'll
established fact that the exceedingly
valuable and soluble compounds of nj
trogen are most abundantly 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, there is no doubt that much fer
tility is lost whenever rain comes to
wash the soil of its richness. On the
other hand, clover flourishes at this sea-
son, and guards the soil from this loss
from nitritication 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 soil as roots and stubble,
and will become plant food for the next
crop, through the slow processes of de-
cay. In other words, the clover plant
has transformed large quantity of fer
4ility from 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
intI way DdCh 10 inc SOIL Ill Jne
barn-yard manure. The long con-
tinued experiments at Rothamsted, to
which farmers can not be too frequently
referred, show that a clover crop re-
guires three times as much nitrogen for
its growth as does crop of wheat. In
the face Of this, the same experiments
also teach that clover is especially ben
eficial as crop to Immediately precede
one Of wheat. In explanation of this
apparent contradiction, we need to re-
member that clover not only husbands
the fertility of the soil, but gets it into
place and condition to specially favor
Che growth Of the wheat plant. The
field grains have only few weeks to
perfect their growth, and no time to
seek after food not close at hand They
do not have the advantage of growing
IN the midsummer and early autumn,
when, through soil-fermentation, the
earth has its largest ready supply of
plant food. We see good reasons for a
firm adherence to the old belief. that
clover seed is the best manure that can
be applied to loose soil. Let us grow
more clover. Even if it is not four
leaved it will ing good luck. -
american Agy.aL. .R3'ist.