The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-06-09
clover in the South.


time much that will grow it to as high a
state of perfection as the lands of New
York or Tennessee If we will devote as
good land to its culture as Is given it in
these states, apply the necessary manure as
literally, sow as good seed as is there
used and on land that has been as well pre-
pared for sowing, there is no difficulty
whatever in our growing all the clover, hay
and pasture that we may find it profitable
to use. We have plenty of land that will
not make either corn or oats or cotton or
potatoes profitably, but that incident does
not lead US to regulate the selection Of crops
for our good lands because these crops are
Improbable on soils naturally sterile.
Glover is not adapted to poor and shallow,
sandy soil, nor are any of our staple crops
to be grown on such soil to any degree of
success. To produce good crop of clover
the land must be of such quality as will en-
able it to produce good crops of corn or cot
ton or oats.
Why clover is esteemed at the north as a
fallow or enriching crop Is not so much on
account of its power to make poor land
r1cs as to enable land slready good to re-
tain its fertility, while at the same time it
makes valuable return as hay or pasture
while accomplishing the purpose of restor-
ing wasted elements of fertility. Clover
hay or clover pasture is par excellence the
accepted type of rich forage, long forage,
and there is no other crop that is more
ameliorating to soils that have been long
devoted to hoed crops than it is. Other
leguminous plants, like the Vetch or our
common field ''pea," approximate more or
less this quality that characterizes the clover
as the most valuable fallow or ameliorating
crop for lands that have been worn by cul-
tivation. 1t need not be expected to grow
on soils that will not produce proftably
Vetch or peas or corn or oats. Farmers
oftentimes have entertained very erroneous
ideas as to the possibility of securing some
plant that would grow readily on badly
worn soil and in short while restore it to
pristine fertility. In this expectation they
have been led frequently to try or attempt
to try various grasses and olovers as means
of making very poor land rich in a short
while. Disappointment was inevitable.
There is no easier grown plant than cur field
pea, yet there is land on nearly every farm
in this section that cannot be made to
gro.' crop of it to any profit. even where
the land is moderately fortified and the
crop fairly cultivated.
Broadcast sowings on such land without
manure prove as absolute a failure as it
would be with clover.
No doubt there are many who read this
column who are prepared to corroborate
the statement that when all the conditions
to successful clover culture are met the
crop can be grown as easily as peas. On
small areas with several varieties we have
repeatedly found this to be true.
Where is there any crop more readily and
more satisfactorily grown than the Burr
clover? Hundreds of farmers have tried
this species of clover in nearly every sec
ton of the southern states in the past ten
years. and we could safely defy every single
one of them to demonstrate failure to
grow it successfully as arising from climatic
reasons. They may have failed to establish
a crop of it to their satisfaction, but we
doubt if any of them could show that they
had met fully the requisites to success and
had failed. A legitimate reason for the
in every case of failure.
What are the essentials to success in
clover cultured They are the same here as
they are in every other section of the coun-
try, and can be briefly enumerated in a very
few lines:
/. Good seed-seed that have vitality and
that will grow when placed in the soil.
2 Soil that has the elements of fertility
in it necessary to produce crop.
g. Soil properly prepared with pillow and
harrow.
4. Sowing made at the proper time with
a proper quantity of seed sown properly
and likewise covered.
The essentials are certainly few and are
briefly stated, and we should be very glad
/ to have statement from any farmer who
has essayed clover culture either with the
red or Burr or Bokhara or white, and has
observed these conditions and met with
failure.
y The attempt to establish clover in the
south has doubtless been frustrated in
thousands of instances altogether, but it
has been the result of violation of the
essential requirements of culture, either
wholly or in part as set forth above.
Worthless seed has been the sole cause of
fnnumerable failures with many who set
out to demonstrate the possibility of sue
cessful clover culture in the south.
This first failure discouraged many. and
second attempt was not repeated. The con-
viction fastened upon many that it was use
less to try any further to establish clover on
their land. What might have been a
splendid success in pointing the way to
higher system of farming was nipped in the
bud, as it were, by the misfortune of having
been furnished sterile seeds. Much the
larger quantity of clover seed sold in the
south have been of this character.
Others again have perhaps sown good
seed, but at an improper time Frost
heaved out the young plants shortly after
growth had started, and second attempt
was not ventured upon. Seeds were not
easily procurable. perhaps, as is usually the
case in most sections of the state. The
land, nicely prepared for the clover, doubt
less, was devoted to some other crop, and
the clover experiment indefinitely post
poned.
Others again sowing good seed and sowing