The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-04
CLOVER.
The Value of This Plant as u Fertilizing
Element.

The Value of This Plant as Il Fertilizing
Element.
In those days the long rotation gen
orally meant a system which kept the
land longer in grass. 1t was therefore
regarded as favorable to fertility. 1t
really was favorable, for as no COM
mercial manures were used it was liter
ally true that 1.-the more grass the more
manure" and the larger crops were a
necessary sequence. Even then good
farmers recognized the fact that if a
shorter rotation were possible, it would
he better for promoting fertility. The
larger part of the gain from keeping
land in grass is made during the first
and second years of its growth. A two
year-old sod furnishes nearly as much
fertilizing material as it ever will-more
than it will after four or five years,
when the valuable grasses run out and
the surface is bare or covered by weeds
If clover is Sown, and in short rOta-
1ion it generally will be, the sod is
worth more for ploughing under, after
two years growth, than it ever will be
again. Clover is biennial 1t dies out
after two years, and unless timothy is
sown with it the'space it occupies Will
be filed with thistles or weeds. Even
if the land is seeded with timothy the
sod is worth less for ploughing under
than it would have been with clover the
year before.
The encouragement which improved
harvesting machinery gave to the SOW
ing of clover has to a large extent offset
the undoubted effect of heavy grain
cropping to decrease fertility; clover is
such a renOvatng crop that where it is
sown as often as possible the soil can
scarcely become sterile-that is, soil
which has not been previously so impov-
erished that clover will not grow Many
good farmers believe that with clover
and phOsphates they can maintain the
fertility of their soil forever Time has
not yet shown their mistake. If there
is any, | do not believe the present gen.
eration of farmers in this section will
live to see it. The clover roots pene-
trate the subsoil and bring up mineral
fertility, while it is probable that either
the leaves themselves or the mulch
which they make enables the soil to
use some OF the atmospheric nitrogen.
At all events the practical test is llndis-
lputed that growth of clover on any
field leaves the soil better for any after
crop, however the clover may be used.
But with commercial manures on soils
well adapted to their use there is gen
eral desire to crop with grain more
heavily, and to SOW clover more spar
Iingly. 1t is in this way, and this only,
that the commercial fertilizers are some
times used to decrease rather than in
crease soil fertility. Phosphate is a ma
nure, as much So and as valuable for
maintaining fertility in the concentrated
form of the commercial fertilizer as
when it is applied more diluted in the
heavy loads of coarse, strawy manure
from the barnyard. The great differ
ence is chat in its concentrated form,
and especially rs usually drilled in with
the seed. the greater part of its benefit
rs absorbed by the crop TO which it is
applied. Enough, however, always re-
mains unused to make a heavy growth
of clover and generally to insure "a
good catch" If clover were always
sown with grain TO which phosphate is
applied, the land would necessarily al
ways improve in fertility, so long at
least az clover will succeed.--M J. be
GntRer.