The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-08-14
The Glover Plant.

Glover i5 one OF the most valuable plants
so many valuable qualities. It is not only
valuable as food for stock, but Is valuable as
a saving and fertilizer Of the soil: It q me-
dium by which the exhausted soil may draw
house, the "atmosphere." t,. -
We have seen farmers move off, leaving
their farms because they had become 30 poor
they could not make living any longer on
them, when II they would spend the money
that they would be compelled to spend In
moving to some new country in clovering
their farms they would soon have rich farms
without moving.
sending its fine roots far down into the soil,
bringing up rich minerals, filling the subsoil
with net work Of rootlets. 1t exposes q
large leaf surface and is thus able to concen.
pare them for the formation Of vegetable sub
stance. It throws a dense shade over the soil
and stops evaporation, the great robber Of the
soil. The clover plant grows throughout the
nitrates as they form. These compounds of
nitrogen are produced In large quantities In
hot summer months, and being very soluble,
would be washed out by rains; but II the far
otherwise unemployed soil, It will absorb
them and they are thus saved. This is one
great advantage which clover has over all the
common grains that finish their growth and
nitrifcation arrives. 1t Is we'll known fact
that it prepares land for the production Of
large crops, and this is explained In large
part by the long season OF Its growth. The
clover. is largely below ground, so that remov-
ing the top takes away only apart Of the yege-
table matter that has been accumulated (but
still to sell the crop of Of the farm. Is ruin
Ing policy and should not be practiced by any
farmer. It should be fed to stock and thus be
returned to the soil through manure.) The
roots Of clover are large and numerous.
When they are turned over In plowing and
decay, they yield good supply Of plant food
to such crops as feed near the surface and
must grow rapidly for q few weeks. II the
whole crop Of clover Is turned under as a
green manure, q much larger amount Of plant
food Is put into the soil.
The clover plant is particularly valuable for
wheat. We find that nitrogen Is the domi
nant part of wheat that every bushel Of
wheat draws two pounds OF nitrogen from the
soil. Wheat draws but little nitrogen from
the air. the great store house OF nitrogen,
ing POWERS Of the full leaved and deep rooted
clover is enabled to appropriate plant food
which would be beyond the reach OF wheat.
Another great value, the clover plant is TO
is an observable fact that wherever the far.
mer keeps much of his farm in clover, to that
extent the farm is kept free from weeds and
other foul intruders. II the soil Is rich
entirely cover the surface. In the meantime,
however, wild seed have got foothold and 1t
is too late to entirely dislocate them. A
thoroughly seeded field OF clover, left to grow
without check, will smother as many young
weeds as would be destroyed in well culti-
vated field. AL the weed seeds on or near the
surface will start to grow and the clover will
smother them down. In titled field more
might be destroyed, because successive layers
Of seed would be brought TO the surface by
cultivation. But In keeping the surface clean
q heavy growth Of clover will be as efectual
as cultivation. If this effect Of clover growth
were better appreciated fields seeded to clover
would be guarded from stock as carefully as
grain and corn fields are.
Do not neglect to SOW clover remember
"clover seed Is the best manure farmer can
use." THoS. ID. BAIRD.