Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-02-26
The Glover Seed Bed.

The clover crop is recognized TO he
the most important soil renovator that
is grown in the corn belt. This is due
to the fact that ii has the power 10
take nitrogen from the atmosphere and
store it in the soil. Its effect upon the
mechanical texture Of the soil is bene-
fetal owing to the fact that the roots
penetrate deeply for moisture and min
eral matters and upon their decay
bring about the liberation of plant food
materials for succeeding crops. In
deed. in this day and age it is scarcely
necessary to advocate the benefits that
are derived from soil from growing a
crop of clover. as most persons are
possessed OF this knowledge.
The difficulty comes in when we at
tempt to obtain stand. Under ordi-
nary circumstances turnout, n large
part of the corn belt better results will
follow the use of Il nurse crop than
when clover is sown alone this being
due to the fact that lightly seeded
nurse crop offers less opposition to the
young plants than do weeds when no
nurse crop is used. Therefore In es-
tablishing clover two things must be
kept in mind. namely. the preparation
Of the soil so that the growth Of clover
is encouraged to the greatest possible
extent. and secondly. care must be
taken to prevent the nurse crop from
growing too rank, If this is possible.
One would naturally suppose that an
ideal seed bed for one would furnish
favorable conditions for the other. and
while in q general way this is true.
vet ii Is not absolutely true.
Past experience indicates that seed
bed for clover or grasses of any kind
should be firm as we'll as fine. On corn
stalk ground conditions may be made
almost ideal by free use of the disc
and harrow. Going over the surface
twice with disc and the same number
of times with the harrow will. under
ordinary conditions, make a firm. fine
seed bed, and one that will encourage
to the greatest possible extent the
rapid growth Of clover. On the other
hand. the firm undersoil will slightly
interfere with the growth OF the nurse
crop, thus preventing 1t from becoming
too rank and smothering out the clover.
Where q soil is plowed In the spring to
deptt, of six or seven inches there Is
likelihood that the rank
growth OF straw that follows will prove
injurious to the young clover plants.
this being true unless the soil is very
worked down afterwards.
In establishing clover it is necessary
to use nurse crop that natures early
T.. {91,n
days. This Is OF advantage owing to
the fact that the soil Is not so COM
pletely dried out before harvest time.
and as a result the young clover is not
so liable to be burned up by the hot
summer sun.
One OF the most important things IN
connection with getting stand of
clover is to cover the seed well. For
merly it was thought sufficient to scat
ter the seed over the surface. no Mt
tempt afterwards being made to cover
1t. While under such circumstances a
portion will grow. yet ex-
periments have demonstrated that the
stand will not be so good. nor will the
plants be so strong at the time when
the nurse crop is removed. 1t is better
to have covering of one inch or two
inches than no covering. We there
fore have no hesitation in recommend
ing that the soil be narrowed freely
after the clover is sown. and II the SUR
face is firm. having been compacted
by heavy rains between discing and
seeding time, it might be better to use
the disc than the harrow.