The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-10-23
Clover in North Dakota

Dean J. H shepperd Of the North
Dakota experiment station wrote the
following. which appeared in the Da-
kota Farmer:
The first settlers tried grow g Glow
err in the early SOS and pronounced it a
failure. Most Of them were thoroughly
convinced and satisfied with the expert
ment and have only begun again to
seed ii since their neighbors are find
ing it a success.
The experiment station at Fargo
has been successful with 1t since the
middle eos and has found that the
failures in getting q catch and In pro-
ducing reasonable crops Of hay have
not been more frequent than they are
in the Mississippi states.
Some state land lacks incubation
and particularly is this true Of the
newer parts Of the state. There Is no
way to tell whether the soil has the
tubercle bacteria present or not ex-
cept to sow the clover and observe the
results, If the germs are present, the
clover roots will soon be covered with
a lot OF warty looking growths. which
are positive evidence that the bacteria
are present in the soil in sufficient
numbers. Sometimes the plants show
a lack of thrift and poor color, though
at other times when the soil has a
good supply Of nitrogen. the plants
grow for time without any indica-
ton of lack OF thrift. Where the
soil lacks the clover bacteria, the easi-.
est way to get 1t inoculated with them
Is to SOW little clover seed with the
grain crops by mixing, say two pounds
to the acre with the grain In the drill
and let it catch and grow as 1t can
and be plowed under with the stubble
as though ii had not been present.
Following this process two or three
times on a piece of land, before you
are ready to SOW clover on the field
will usually supply you with a good
quantity of the clover bacteria. An
other way to secure them is to get
soil from an old clover bed and strew
it thinly over the land, after the clover
has been sown.
The east portion OF the state Of
North Dakota, constituting from
third to a half of 1t, is finding 1t posi-
BILE to grow clover very successfully
with barley, wheat and the early or
Sixty Day oats as nurse crops.
Further west, the grain seems to
crowd out the clover when they are
sown together. The evidence on this
point is very conclusive, since have
regularly observed that where there
was skip In the drilling in many
fields, a splendid growth Of clover was
found, while among the grain vast
portion of the clover plants were dead
at the time the grain was heading and
nearly all OF the ones which remained
were small, weak and Of bad color.
The source of clover seed. so far as
the rather extended evidence which
the experiment station has collected.
seems to be a matter of no conse-
quence so long as the supply comes
from no farther south than the north
line OF Missouri and Kentucky. 1T is.
well of course, TO make sure that the
clover seed Is pure and of good grow
Ing strength, also that 1t is free from
dodder and all weed seeds. uufortu-
nately. II is not uncommon to find
sweet clover and other obnoxious weed
seeds mixed with those Of common red
clover offered on the market.
Barley has given much better re-
suits as nurse crop In trials at this
experiment station than wheat, and
wheat much better than the white
Russian and other late strains OF oats.
The early oat known as Sixty Day
and In some districts as EMERSON APP
barley in the matter Of serv-
ing as a good nurse crop for clover.
stubbie seems To afford considerable
of protection to the clover, and In
the fourteen years of experience at
this station which have had with
clover, cannot recall single instance
Of the newer clover protected BY the
grain stubble winter killing seriously
enough to call II q failure, tn d few
seasons it has. however, been reduced
4 third Or possibly q half believe
the clover growers should only count
on taking ono crop of hay from the.