Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-08-23
Clover on a un-Down Farm.

A Blackhawk county, Iowa, sub
scriher sends tie following interest
ing communications: 81 bought a
farm Of l4O acres that is all run
down and full of weeds. | would
like to have you tell me through the
columns of the Farmers Tribune
how to proct ! to improve the land.
have thought of sowing clover; cut
the first crop and plow the second
crop under, but l do not know
whether it will pay to do this with
the present high price ofciover seed.
don't like to sow MORE than ten
acres each year, as clover comes
about the time whencorn is ready to
lay by. Would it be safe to sow
some clover ON the oats stubble this
fall, and what variety would you
advise to sow? How should the
ground be prepared, and how much
seed should be used per acre?"
Our correspondent will no doubt
be able to purchase clover seed next
spring at less than SO per bnshel,
but even if he can not do so, we are
sure it will pay him TO SOW ten acres
OF clover each year with early oats
or barley as a nurse crop, or with
wheat if he expects to grow this
Cut the crop Of clover the following
year then pillow it under in the fall
SO as to get the ground in the best
possible condition for the corn the
following spring. In fact, we would
advise our correspondent to SOW
clover even if it costs Sl2 per bush
ell. There is no crop that we know
of which can be seededin his locality
and which will bring up the fertility
of the soil more qli :kly than clover.
We would go farther than this, we
would advise him to seed ten acres
in the way he mentions and in ad-
dition seed ten acres or as many
acres more as CONVENIENT, and if he
can not make use of this for hav to
plow it up the first fall after seeding
in the spring. Our correspondent
may be doubtful as to the economy
of this practice. but we have no hest
tation in saying that he will oe
amply repaid for the trouble in
greater yield Of corn or other crops
in succeeding years.
About the best experiments we
have noticed along this line were
carried on in Canada some years ago
by the Ontario agricultural college.
An oat crop which followed a wheat
crop with which clover was seeded,
yielded 10 bushels and four pounds
more grain per acre than crop
on similar land on which clio
yer had not been seeded. Oats
following barley and clover
yielded seven bushels and two
pounds more per acre than where it
followed barley without clover. In
another instance where oats followed
different variety of barley with
clover the same results were obtain
ed. Oats with clover yielded ten
bushels and 30 pounds more grain
per acre than where it followed oats
without clover. In other words
there was an average increase in the
yield OF the oat crop on the four
plots of over eleven bushels per acre.
Understand now, that the clover had
been seeded in the spring and was
plowed under with the stubble in
the fall.
The second year, after the summer
growth of clover had been plowed
under, there was an average increase
of eight bushels and 81 pounds of
oats per acre on the four plots men
toned above. In other words, dur
ing the two years there was total
increase of 20 bushels of oats per
acre, due to the plowing under
clover in the fall of the year that had
been seeded during the spring pre-
vious as compared with land on
which clover had not been raised.
This to us seems conclusive evidence
Of the great value Of clover as a soil
improver.
Similar experihentsw were conduct
ed ut the Ontario station in 1898,
but on larger scale. In this in
stance one-half acre fields were used
while the former results were obtain
ed on one-tenth- acre plots. From
oats on bronze grass sod, on these
one.half acre fields, yield Of 80
bushels and eight pounds were
obtained; on pasture grass SOD, Sc
bushels and l6 pounds; on pasture
grass with clover, 46 bushels and
four pounds and on pasture barley
with clover, 43 bushels and Is
pounds. In other words, there was
an average difference of ten bushels
and four pounds in favor of the crops
grown on the land on which clover
had been turned under.
Similar experiments were also
carried on with corn. The corn
however, was used for fodder
Where corn followed clover there
was an increase Of 40 per cent in the
yield in some instances and the
average of Is experiments carried
on during three consecutive years
showed an increase of nearly foul
tons OF green corn per acre per year
If his soil is clean and it contains
plenty of moisture it may pay oul
correspondent to disc his oats stubble
and seed clover this fall, but. the
moisture question is an important