The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1902-12-17

Free Nitrogen ON Farms.
The clover plant Is one of the most
valuable that is within the power of
the farmer to grow, and 1t also enrich
es him even when the clover Is sold
off the farm, because there remains
in the roots left in the soil large
proportion of nitrogen which was
gained from the atmosphere. SO great
is the gain to the farm when the entire
crop is fed and returned to the land
that but few farmers realize the large
increase in that direction. An eX-
perimenter, who took clover roots
from the soil TO the depth of four feet,
and also from plots to the depth of two
feet, of both the common red and man,
moth varieties, of one years growth,
found nearly as much nitrogen at the
depth of two feet as when the roots
were taken from four feet, thus dem
onstarting that the roots of clover,
while going down deep into the soil,
do not go below the reach of plants
which follow the clover crop, and even
when the clover is seeded in June and
left until the next October there is q
large addition to the supply of nitro
gen in the soil. As farmers must pro-
vide nitrogen for all cereal crops,
while clover gives them nitrogen in
stead of demanding that material,
there is a great saving in expense,
which is an item of profit as well as
the crop. The most costly of all fer
tilizers is nitrogen, and when the farm
er can grow his nitrogen" as Is
really done with clover, its importance
as renovating crop cannot be over
estimated
AS the red variety is more extensive
ly grown in this secion than any 9TH
er it is well known, and as much as
four tons of clover hay per acre may
be credited to some farms under fay-
orahle conditions, but in the expert
ments made, the clover being seeded
in July and the crop (stems, leaves
and roots) collected in October in the
same year, there were about ga tons
Of stems and leaves and a little less
than 2 3-4 tons of roots per acre. of
green material, which is not large
quantity of green clover. but Is sufii-
cient TO show what is left in the soil
as nitrogen. The stems and leaves
contained 40 pounds of nitrogen, val
ued at Sl0,50 tat Is cents per pound),
while the roots left in the ground to
the depth of two feet contain AZ pounds
of nitrogen worth $705, the total
amount of nitrogen in the crop being
III pounGs. valued at s1755. Red
clover, seeded in May and cut in Oc-
tober of the same year, produced over
five tons of stems and leaves and over
three tons of roots, the total amount
of nitrogen being 130 pounds. The
mammoth red clover, seeded in April
and cut in May Of the following year,
produced 10 tons of stems and leaves
and over 1-2 tons of roots per acre,
the total amount of nitrogen being
40 pounds. The tests were made to
determine the manurial value of clo-
yer. and the time was but little over
one year, the increase of nitrogen be-
ing much more than would be sup
posed by farmers who grow the crop
for hay rather than for the purpose
of improving the soil.
What would attract attention in a
clover crop Is the amount. of nitrogen
in the roots left in the soil after the
crop is taken off. The farmer may sell
his hay or feed the crop on the farm,
as preferred, but he still has left the
nitrogen which he gained by simply
growing the clover. The roots. there
fore, may be claimed as portion of
the crop and the profit. and should be
included in the accounts as such. In
one case 60 pounds of roots remained
in the soil, valued at nine dollars,
which represented so much plant food
waiting to be utilized the next season,
and which differed from that usually
supplied from the fact that the farmer
did not have TO invest any capital
the next season for the nitrogenous
fertilizer, as he had his nitrogen ready
stored in the soil for his use. Any
farm that can be brought to that con-
dltion, as the farmer has but to sup
uly the cheaper mineral fertilizers in
order TO balance the plant food. The
profits of farming do not depend upon
the prices realized compared with the
amount OF material removed from the
land, the real wealth and capital of tho
farmer being his soil, and when he can
sell something from the land which
provided him with more than he took
from 1t in the form OF crop he is
sure to become prosperous in a few
years.-Philadelphl Record.