Mower County transcript., 1904-04-20
GLOVER AND. N]...IF FERTILITY:
A Farmers Institute Talk by j. E.
Wlng-FertiIity of Land Greatly
Increased by Liberal CIovering.

increased Oy LlDSEoA ~sOVSAnS'
On the subject of clovers and fertil-
ity, Mr.. Wing said: "This is thing
of intense interest to me because OF its
vital connection with my life. My ia
ther and undertook the upbuilding OF
a worn farm. That farm had been fer
tile once. Many years of cropping had
robbed it of its virgin fertility and it
would not pay for cultivation. The
story that clover would rest soil was
seized upon by us and worked out to
logical conclusion. The farm fifteen
years ago yielded a gross revenue OF
less than 800. Today it yields pro-
fit of more than $1,000. Clovers grown
upon the farm, fed upon the farm, the
manure put back to help other clovers
to grow, has made the difference. CIo-
vers not only feed the soil but they are
the best feed for animal life as we'll.
There was a time when | was pessl-
mist as to our land. / had seen the
ruin that had come to Virginia, Mary
land other states through the exhaust
ion of their soils. had seen the slow
decay Of my own country and 1t seem
ed as if we were doomed to slow soil
exhaustion and decay. l do not now
see things in that dismal light. Last
year l went to France and made
study of her agriculture there. Near
Paris are the most fertile fields have
ever seen. The produce is wheat, sug-
ar beets and grass. The wheat when |
was there was rather taller than the
oxen's backs. 1t stood so thick that
a hat thrown out in the standing grain
would scarce fall to the ground. Beets
covered the ground with their lusty
green tops. Grass was so heavy and
thick that there was hardly room on
the ground for it to dry. These fields,
the most fertile L had ever seen, were
old hundred years ago, yes, thou
sand years ago they were old fields, and
no doubt if we could know, they were
already old four thousand years ago.
And today they bloom in rich and rad
liant beauty.
What makes those fields fertile?
More than half of the ground or fields
is covered with clover Of some sort or
another. There is the crimson clover
that we cannot grow here; there is es-
parcotte or sainfoin, that also will not
grow we'll with us, but there is the 6r-
dinary red clover and there is the alfal-
ia. These feed the cows, the sheep
and the horses. The manure is care
fully returned to the fields. The result is
the marvellous fruitfullness Of the
soil.
How do clovers enrich the soil? Once
men denied that they did enrich them
The farmer said: "yes, I do know that
my land is better for the clover that
grows thereon" but the chemist in
sisted that from nothing, nothing
could come; that in sowing clover seed
on the land no fertility was gained
aside from that contained in the Glow
er-seed itself. Then the careful old
scientists, the man who gets down on
his knees to the soil, took hand in it
BY pot culture in barren sand he learn
ed that when clover plants have inocu'
lation of certain form OF bacteria
that inhabit their rootlets they are able
to imbibe nitrogen from the great
source of free nitrogen, the air. This
is the way the Almighty enriches soils
and you may be his partner. 1t is by
working along side the Almighty as
his partner that we make achieve
ments. First we must understand his
laws. Then by doing our part W.
may come to success.
Continuing, MI. Wing said, Gentle
men, this may sound like theory to you
It is theory which is the other name
for reason why. Without correc
theory you cannot base intelligent prac
tice. Believing, then, this theory w
on Woodland Farm have so acted tina
we have increased the fertility of tina
farm until we cut last year more thai
300 tons Of alfalfa have husked more
than 1000 bushels Of corn, made. NOR
than 1,400 bushels of barley. W.
have. proved that clover feeds soils
We have proved that clover feeds ami
mails with greatest profit and at th'
least cost. We believe "that there shall
be New Heaven and a. New Earth,
and that it will come from the righ
use of theameans that God has freel:
nut beside us, the humble clover plant
Take the children to Bishop II
4 Main street and have their picture,