Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-02-13
OUR FARMERS.
GROW MORE CLOVER.

In no department of farming has
there been greater loss than in soil
deterioration and the consequent
failure of many farms to produce
maximum crops. This condition is
not due to the absence of the val
liable fertilizing elements known as
nitro gen, phosphoric acid and potash
for the average New England soil
these elements to grow hundreds of
crops, but it is due to the fact that
the easily available elements have
been appropriated by growing crops,
requiring skill on the part of the
farmer to render available the ele-
ments of fertility still remaining in
the soil. There are various means
for accomplishing this but one of the
most practical and inexpensive is by
the growing of clover.
The greatest benefit derived by the
soil from the clover is it's ability to
collect nitrogen, the most costly
element of purchased fertility, from
the atmosphere and from the subsoil,
and store it up in the plant both top
and roots, which when turned under
the green crop Or when fed to ami
mails and the fertilizing materials OBJ
tanned returned to the soil, materially
increases it's productive capacity in
the valuable element of nitrogen.
n
rives from the clover plant is the
humus applied by the crop when turn
ed under in a green state and to some
extent when the crop is taken off
and only the roots remaining. This
humus is of itself not an element of
fertility but it's action upon the soil
is such as to make available the plant
food already existing in the soil in an
available form. This is done by the
ability Of humus to store water in the
soil and by it's contact with the ele-
ments of fertility in the soil, making
them break down and become avail
able, while it also makes the soil
lighter and enables the excess of
more completely. These two quail
tiles of supplying nitrogen and sup
plying humus make the clover a
valuable plant in restoring soil fer
tility or in making available the fer
tility already existing in the soil.
A st ock argument against growing
clover is the statement that it cannot
be grown as we'll as formerly and
sonnet ines the statement that it can
not be grown at all. While it is true
that the soil conditions existing upon
most farms at present require more
careful preparation than was neces-
sary when land was new to grow Glow
er, there are very few instances where
it cannot be successfully grown. The
difficulty is largely due to the lack of
humus in the soil which the clover
crop itself will supply when once
grown and properly handled. When
due attenti is given to a proper
preparation of the seed bed, to pro-
curing of reliable seed, to sowing in
the season, and to supplying the crop
with light application of phosphor-
ic acid and potash, when lacking in
the soil, there will be few failures to
grow a crop of clover. After one
crop has been grown and turned un-
der the soil, there will be less difficult
ty in growing subsequent crops until
it's effect upon the soil has been ex-
hausted again. All reliable expert
mentors and Investigators agree
upon the great value of the clover
crop in improving and rehabilitating
the so called worn out soils and they
are equally unanimous in regard to
the ability of nearly all soils to gro W
clover when the crop and soil is prop
erly handled.