The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1896-03-13
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
Does Glover sown with Wheat Reduce
the Yield?

Does clover Sown with Wheat ASeuuco
the Yield?
Mr.. @. p. Goodrich of Michigan says
EMO" In letter to Prairie Farmer he
claims, OH the strength Of both observa-
tion and experience, that "where there
is any difference it is even better where
there is clover sown with 1.-THE grain
is not as liable to be shrunken. Glover
is one Of the most beneficial crops that
the farmer can raise, and there is no
danger Of its taking possession of the
ground the first year to a sufficient de.
gree to reduce tho yield of any small
grain crop he may SOW it with.
Thomas Shaw of Minnesota wrote, in
reply to query, that rank clover will
reduce the wheat yield. Ordinarily,
however, clover sown with wheat does
not reduce the yield of the wheat. Mr..
Shaw considered the hazard of loss from
this source so small that it ought not to
be used as an argument against the
practice of sowing clover with wheat.
Glover with spring wheat will reduce
the wheat yield, said q. W. Franklin
Of Iowa. He explained: ~ have often
sown clover with wheat, and my obser-
walton is that seasons have great in
fuence in this matter. One season the
clover will scarcely make any growth;
in other seasons it will make an i'm
mense growth. Glover sown with spring
wheat is more liable to reduce the yield
of wheat than with winter wheat. The
reason of this is due to the fact that
winter wheat is sown in the fall of the
year and it gets we'll established before
the clover is sown and can get start,
whereas in the spring wheat the wheat
has to start with the clover, which Of
tenti,ues will keep pace with the wheat
to 81 ch an exte;;t as to affect the yield.
1t nay do this one season and in another
wolld fail to do SO. 1t is question in
ny mind whether the growth in some
seasons would not be direct advantage
10 the wheat in the protection it would
give the ground by its dense growth.
Glover robs the wheat of moisture,
writes q. w. Rulings of Illinois in the
journal previously quoted from. How.
ever, he does all his clover seeding with
winter wheat. He says:
'There is but one way in which the
young clover could possibly injuriously
affect the growing wheat and that
would be by robbing it of moisture and
plant food. But if seeded in March the
plant attains but a slight growth before
the wheat is matured. 1t begins to show
itself the latter part of April, and by
the last of June the wheat is ready for
the harvester. During this period, as q
rule, there is no lack of rain and mois-
ture, and we need fear nothing on that
score. How about the elements upon
which it lives? In the first place the
wheat is shallow feeder; even if plant
ed deeply it will throw out feeding
roots near the surface of the ground
while the old and lower roots will die.
On the ether hand, tie clover starts
downward at once to liberate and bring
up the elements stored in the subsoil.
Then again the Glover draws its supply
of nitrogen at this period Of its growth
almost exclusively from the air. Its
chief value as fertilizing crop lies in
the power of accommodating and storing
the free nitrogen of the atmosphere for
future use, and as nitrogen is necessary
for the growth of the wheat, both as "a
direct food and also as an aid in liberat-
ing the elements in the soil, such as pot
ash, phosphoric acid, etc., upon which
the wheat feeds, the question arises, Is
not the young clover plant positive
aid to the growing and ripening wheat?"