The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1902-03-20

ZEN. = Wide Range Of Farm
Discussed. y. The Potato an ,
sting Theme. -
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humus or decaying vegetable matter
is worked down into the soil and holds
the water in the soil and does not allow
it to soak into the subsoil. Grass taken
from the soil as hay robs the soil of
plant food, but with clover it is differ
emit. The crop may: be cut and the
land is still richer than before the
clover was sown. :. - Ill.,. 80
There are three principal elements
needed to increase soil fertility, name
~; nitrogen, :phosphoric acid, : and
potash. If you burn anything, like
brush or stubble, the nitrogen goes
into the air, while the. phosphoric acid
and potash remain. The air. is the
great storehouse of nitrogen. Eighty
per cent OF the air we breath is free
nitrogen. Thousands of dollars worth
at market prices is over every farm.
The phosphoric acid and potash being
mineral matter, remain on the earth.
The mission of the clover plant is to
feed on the nitrogen and leave it in
the soil in an available form for other
crops. Corn, oats, wheat, timothy.
etc., cannot use nitrogen until it has
been made available by. clover and
similar plants. CLOVER feeds largely
on the subsoil, striking its roots deep
down, sometimes six, eight or even
more feet, pumping up the phosphoric
acid and potash to the surface where
it can be used by following crops. On
the roots of the clover are little
nodules, sometimes enormously called
seeds, which are fartories in which
many thousands of microscopic. work
ers convert the free 5nitrogen OF the air
into nitric acid, in which form it is
used by plants. -. T.: :..s...-....
In the east farmers have to pay rs
cents per pound for nitrogen in the
shape of commercial fertilizers. Glover
is the middle man to transfer nitrogen:
from the air!to the soil. Grass creates
only surface SOIL wh,iie clover nsskes
the soil mellow and rich. Glover is
biennial while grass is perennial.
Many do not give clover the chance to
secure afoothold on the soil and think
that one crop sown is sufficient.
A we'll arranged rotation of crops, in
which clover is grown regularly every
third or fourth year is one of series
of steps by which very barren and
run down piece of land can in time be
brought to a high degree of fertility.
Mr.. Terry said: Thirty odd years
ago, went on to farm in Ohio, so
run down that it would scarcely grow
weeds. One acre yielded forty bushels
OF big and little potatoes-mostly lit
tie. The previous years, corn crop
was not worth harvesting. My first,
crop of wheat went eight bushels to
the acre, my neighbors called it >?as
''good crop" Yet in ten or twelve
years we were growing per acre from
80 to 80 bushels of wheat, 200 to $50
bushels of merchantable potatoes and
from four to five tons of clover hay, in
two cuttings. These were larger crops
than the soil had ever produced.
''At considerable risk and expense
arranged my land for a rotation of
crops in the following order, namely,
clover, potatoes, wheat; continuing
this rotation for many years. For
three or four years the gain was slight;
in six or eight years we were pretty
we'll satisfied: but with each successive
period of rotation the gain continued
until we were actually growing as large
crops as could stand on the ground"
Many questions were asked Mr..
Terry as to the cultivation of clover.
The best clover was the Red clover,
though the Mammoth was considered
very good.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Terry's talk
L. G.. Johannot sung song entitled
''The Farmer,'' which amused the
audience considerably. H. i -.
SUMMER FEEDING. oeAss ).
A. w. Trow of G1enville, Mimi, the
Oldest manager of cooperative cream
cries in the State, spoke on Summer
Feeding" and his practical talk on
how to provide feed for the cows at 8
time when the proper feed is very
essential, was very interesting one.
He spoke of the value Of sowing Cana
dian field peas and oats early in. the
season. The peas were sowed two and
one-half inches deep, followed by the
oats, and in July when the COWS were
in need of good succulent food. there