The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1908-01-03


IN. IN. W., Franklin, Tenn, writes:
what ii the cause of land becoming
s'Clover sIck?' Land has been In
wheat for number Of years What
constituents Of commercial fertilizer
and proportion would you recon-
mendg The soil Is deep, loose, sandy
clay suh-soiI What are the relative
natural values Of rye and red clover?
Would cowpeas preceding the seed
ing to clover enhance the chances Of
taking?
Answer: The cause OF the land be-
coming Glover sick" may be due to
one OF several things, chief among
which is the poverty Of the soil In
one or more OF the essential ele-
ments OF plant food. Some claims
are now being advanced that the
trouble Is due to specific organism
found In certain soils. Just how inn
portant this claim is can not be stat
ed at the present time, and IL the
trouble is altogether due to organ
isms 1t is likely that some remedy
can be found sooner or later for the
trouble. For example, they may
starve to death like many of the USE
ful forms OF bacteria II clover is
not grown on the land for several
years, and undoubtedly the failure to-
rotate crops is one Of the causes OF
the so-called clover sickness The
plant food OF the soil must be kept
an equilibrium. and the one cropping
system which ID 80 often followed on
our farms causes some OF the neces-
sary elements Of plant food to be ex-
Aausted before others. TO secure a
stand sof clover in your section, 1t will
alz1t be necessary to supply the soil
with an abundance OF vegetable mat
ter. and for this purpose there is
nothing better than the cowpea. Then.
an application Of at least 800 pounds
ef High-grade acid phosphate with
aoD pounds Of muriate OF potash
should be applied as a top dressing
and worked In with d harrow before
seeding the wheat and clover Only
q thin seeding of wheat should be
used IL the clover Is sown In the
fall. Lining the land will also bene-
at 1t. From 1000 to 1000 pounds
per acre Is not too much to use. The
lime may be scattered over the sur
face with a fertilizer distributor or
by means OF a manure spreader. The
Time should be applied as top
dressing and narrowed in, say ten
days or two weeks before sowing
the wheat and clover. There is much
poor clover seed on the market and
it IS important to test 1t and make
certain that 1t Is Of q good quality
before seeding. Deep and thorough
slliage, heavy fertilization. judicious
crop rotation, and the use Of plenti-
full supplies OF farmyard manure will
come I'D nearly insuring successful
stand Of clover as any other known
practice OF the present day. We have
heldoin failed 70 secure good stand
Of red clover when we could top
dress the land literally with we'll
Pctted farmyard manure. The dearth
OK karmyard manure ON many of our
farms Is one reason why so much
dIfaculty Is experienced In obtaining
clover at the present time. Red
clover is a legume and has the power
Of gathering atmospheric nitrogen
through the bacteria which live in
the nodules growing on its roots
under normal conditions. A good
growth of red clover turned under
would add anywhere from seventy
ave to 100. or possibly 1875 pounds pi
nitrogen to an acre of land 1t would
depend good deal on the vigor Of
the growth made by the clover and
the season. Rye on the other hand
would add nitrogen to the soil gath
ered directly from the air. The one
crop, therefore, is far more valuable
than the other, though they would
both provide a large bulk OF organic
matter which would have a decided
sniluence on changing the mechanical
condition OF the soil. Rye makes
an excellent. winter cover for the
land, and II ploWed under early
IN the spring and followed by COW
peas cut for hay or plowed under
would help tolbrlng the land in good
condition for the fall seeding Of
clover and wheat. -Professo A. M
soule. W
Peach Breeding.