Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1902-11-12
eERsEEM FOR FARMERS.
A New Word Here, and the New Thing
II Denotes Comes From Egypt.

Berseem Is to be brought to the Uni
ted States to help out in the National
irrigation scheme. No doubt not one
reader in a thousand will know wheth'
er berseem is something from the In
side of a pyramid or an element OF
oeeswax. The United States Govern
ment has just issued booklet about
II written by David C. Fairchild, VINO
ia described in the big Blue BOOK as
permanent Agricultural Explorer, d.
vision of Seed and Plant Introduction,
Bureau of Plant Industry, Department
NJ Agriculture" Surely berseem
must be very important or this dis
tinguished explorer would not have
taken the time to write book about
It and illustrate it with fine photogra'
vures.
When land has had no rain for cen
turtles a salty deposit gathers near
the surface. The scientist knows ex'
actly why this is so, but 1t is hardly
worth while to explain. When these
arid lands are covered with water the
first result is the formation of salty
crust. This plays havoc with the in
tentions of the agriculturist. He tries
to get rid of this salty deposit by deep
tilling, but this will not always work.
When the department determined that
this salty crust was one of the i'm
portant handicaps Of the irrigation
schemes, it undertook to find a plant
which would neutralize these salty de-
posits. This was the quest of David
G. Fairchild, and he reports that he
found in berseem, the fodder and soil
ing plant o, Egypt. Trifolium Alexa-
drinum, just the thing for a rotating
crop for irrigated land.
Not only will berseem be useful in
eating the salts which hamper the ir-
rigation agriculturist, but it furnishes
the manure to enrich the soil. Amer
lea here gets another important lesson
from the Egyptian. The fellabin
(farm laborer) have for centuries used
the manure of the stables for fuel
Girls are employed to mix it with earth
and the dried cakes are burned. In
fact, it is the principal fuel. The SOIL
deprived of it's natural enrichment,
would deteriorate were it not for the
wonderful properties of the fodder
crop. The ke.nest modern agricul-
turists of the Nile Valley report that
without this wonderful plant the soil
would soon become so weak, despite
the deposit of silt from the overflow
ing waters, that it would become
worthless. The silt is almost devoid
Of the necessary nitrogenous matter
The berseem also keeps down the
weeds. The report of Mr.. Fairchild
says:
Nothing among the varied agrlcul-
tural sights which interest the tourist
in Egypt is so interesting as the cul-
ture, harvest and marketing of this
green fodder crop. Every coachman
has bunch of berseem or bag of it
under his feet. with which he feeds
his horse at the cabstand. Every
drayman has on top of his load bag
of it for his horses or bullocks, and
the donkey boys carry bag of 1t for
their much-abused beasts. In the
early morning the avenues leading TO
Cairo are lined with long files of CAM
els and donieys bearing the green for
age. About its culture all other asri-
cultural crops are arranged"
The plant resembles clover and the
stems are very succulent, in every way
more delicate than clover or alfalfa,
and it Is eaten not only by domestic
animals, but by the farm Iaborer.-CIn-
cinnati Commercial Tribune.