Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1912-05-10
CLOVER AS FERTILIZER 8

CLOVER A9 FERTILIZER
IL Enriches the sof1 WINE Furnishing
: Valuable Feed. Us. ..5 's. q
Clover is one Of the most valuable
feeds that the farmer can grow. II is5
rich in protein, that muscle-building
and milk producing constituent Of
feeds, and can to q large extent re-
place mill-eeeds rich in protein, such
as bran, shorts and oil-meal in the
ration. Alfalfa is slightly richer in
protein than red clover, but does not
ct so well into rotation, and is not
|so generally adapted to the various
soils Of Minnesota. H. :..,".
It will pay to grow clover as feed;
but, in addition to it's feeding value,
the fertiizing value Of the roots and
stubble Of clover makes the land upon
which it was grown richer in both
humus and nitrogen than it was be.
fore. The fact that larger crops could
be grown after clover than after
grasses or other crops was known
long before the exact reason for the
fact was determined. It was finally
discovered in the latter part Of the
10Th Century that certain bacteria,
present on the roots Of clover, and
evidenced by the presence. Of swell
ing the free nitrogen Of the air (about
four-ffths by volume Of the air is
nitrogen), and making it available for
the plant to use. Since this discov-
cry, the growing Of clover has vastly
increased, until now the growing 0 f
clover or other legumes is recognized
as the cornerstone Of any permanent
system Of agriculture.
Nitrogen is one Of the three most
essential elements plant-food, the
most expensive, and the first to be-
come deficient in our soils. The other
two are phosphorus and potassium.
Commercial fertilizers contain one or
more Of these three elements.
| You can buy nitrogen in the form
Of nitrate Of soda, and the nitrogen
will cost you Is cents pound, or you
can buy it as dried blood, and it will
cost you about 16 cents pound. A
crop Of 20 bushels Of wheat, together
with the straw, removes about IS
pounds Of nitrogen from the soil. To
replace this by means Of commercial
fertilizer, 80 as to keep up the fertility
Of the soil, would cost $3.50 per acre.
Clover, if grown in rotation, once in
three to five years, and when cut for
hay, will leave enough nitrogen in it's
roots to keep up the nitrogen content
Of the soil, replacing all that has been
removed by the other crops grown in
the rotation; and, in addition, it
keeps up the hunus content Of the
soil, and furnishes the farmer with
one Of the most valuable feeds that
can be grown. Field experiments,
conducted over long periods Of time at
different experiment stations, prove
conclusively the above statement.
Bulletin 100, Minnesota Experiment
Station, reports field experiments on
forty-four plots, with different sys-
TENS Of rotation, and covering a Pc
Rod Of ten years, in which it is shown
that, on those plots where clover was
grown in rotation, one in three to five
years, the nitrogen content Of the soil
at the end of ten years was as large
or larger than at the beginning Of the
experiment.; while on those plots
where clover or other legumes were
net grown, the nitrogen content de-
creased. Where field peas were
grown continuously, there was de-
cided increase in the nitrogen con-
tent. Where clover was seeded ev-
cry year, with wheat grown continu-
! ously, the nitrogen content Of the soil
was maintained
The report of the Canadian Expert
mental Farm for 1911 reports an inter-
) esting experiment, where clover was
grown continuously for ten years on
the same plot, the ground being dug
over every second year and re-seeded.
The hay was cut and allowed to rot on
the ground. The soil was sampled and
analysed at the beginning Of the exl'er
iment, and at intervals up to nine
years, with the result of a remarka BILE
increase in the nitrogen content amount
, ing to 472 pounds per acre, in the soil
; to depth Of in, in 8 years. or an
average Of 50 pounds per year, having
yearly money value Of 1896 OF total
value Of $S4o6. If this clover. had
been fed to cattle, and the manure
: carefully saved and applied to the plot,
, nearly as largo an increase in the nj
trogen content Of the soil would have
been found
+ To get the largest possible crop
yield from every acre should be the aim
Of every farmer, Growing clover reg
u'aflE III otatloh Will help TO Jnls enN.
You cannot afford not to grow clover,
if you have stock to feed it to- If you
haven't stock, get it. Tt will pay to
SOW 3 to pounds Of clover to the acre,
with grain, to plow under late in the
fall. The increase in the nitrogen and
humus content Of the soil will more
than pay for the seed.-Ralph Hoag-
land, Chief, Div. Ayr. Chemistry and
ISoils, MINI. Col. Of Agriculture.