The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-05-11
Crimson Glover.

Up to a few years ago it was considered
an impossibillty to grow clover success
fully N the south, says a farmer in Flori-
da Agriculturalist, but with the advent of
crimson clover the problem has been salts
factorlly solved and now we can depend
upon having plenty of green feed in the
early spring months a. the time when it
is most urgently wanted, but like every
thing else we have to learn how to grow it
to the best advantage by experimenting
with the various kinds of fertilizers at our
command 1t is generally suDDOsed that
the clover family do not require any nitro
genous fertilizers, being able to draw the
necessary nitrogen from the atmosphere
but l md that during the winter months,
when our days are shorter and we have
less sunshine that crimson clover don't an
pear to draw on the atmosphere as much
a in the spring months; the reason for
this don know as yet, perhaps we can
find it out IN some way. L find that the
main feeder it wants in the shape of fer
tilzers is potash.
Last September / sowed two plots fer
tilted one with nitrogen and phosphate
the other with nitrogen, phosphate and
muriate of potash. When the first plot
got properly started to growing II as
sumed a yellow siclSy hue. and having a
very hard frost for this latitude on Dec
%, it nearly succumbed altogether; to
try and save it, l gave it some more nj
trogen in the shape of nitrate of soda
about fifty to sixty pounds to the acre
This appeared to stimulate it a little
a
third of the crop the other plot did that
had the potash The plot that had the
potash kept growing steadily right along.
passed through three of the worst Freezes
in one winter that has ever been expert
enced in the south, and in the month of
March 1t presented a beautiful appear
ance. was loath to cut 1t, as I wanted
to save all the seed l could for future pur-
poses, but being short of proper feed for
my milk cows, 1 cut quite a. lot of it, and
part of this plot ran along a strip where
ha hn
had been heavily fortified with potash.
This strip grew up again faster than the
rest and cut ii second and a third
time, and a the end gave me more hay
when ! cut 1t in May than the part of the
plot that was not in the old tomato strip
This was a clear case Of demonstration in
threshing it out fGs seed the hay off The
land that had the potash yielded | pre-
sumo about ten to one of the other, and
the seed was bulkier and heavier in every
wav
The more 1 use potash on our sandy
soils of the south the more I am con-
WINGED that it is good thing. Our soil is
comparatively well supplied with nitro
genous elements or we can grow CROPS
to give us nitrogen, but potash we have
to Ssve % our crops all the time II we
want them to do their best. There is
one feature about using potash that the
most of people overlook, and that is its
permanent good effects. 1t does not act
as a stimulant like nitrate of soda for
instance, and then pass off Potash af-
fects the soil for its permanent good and
its effects are seen years afterward in
a general all around Improvement This
year / am going to SOW all the crimson
clover / can get room for and fertilize
with kainit only, as the land is rich in
nitrogenous matter already and kainit
broadcasted al the rate Of six to eight
hundred pounds per acre when the land
is plowed will give the exact soil Grim
son clover delights in, (and in the spring
after using all / want for green feed and
saving some for seed by blowing it UNI
der It Will enrich the land beyond any