The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-09-11

that the growing Of clover enrichcs
the soil in nitrogen. and many believe
that clover in Il crop rotation will
maintain the fertility of the soil.
such opinions are largely erroneous.
The mere growing of clover Oh nor
NAL land does not enrich 1t. Even
the nitrogen is not increased unless
the clover crop is returned to the soil
either directly or in farm manure Ro
tation with such crops as corn oats
and clover. deplctcs the soil of all
important clements of fertility, and
on normal soils always results ulti-
mately in land ruin, unless some sys
tenn of restoration is practiced. Glover
takes large amounts of calcium and
phosphorus from the soil. and does not
increase the nitrogen content If only
the roots and stubble are left, because
they contain no more nitrogen than
the clover itself will take from soils
of normal productive power How do
YOU make this fit in with your ideas
in regard to using no nitrogen" There
is, if YOU read carefully, no difference
between what j have urged and what
Dr. Hopkins says. For instance, l had
letter some years ago from q farmer
in Alabama, who said that what l had
been saying about peas enriching tho
land was all nonsense. for he had
taken a crop of peas from n piece OF
land for twelve years in succession.
and it got so poor that it would hardly
sprout peas. OF course it did and any
crop would do the same thing and the
peas had drawn on the mineral mat
tiers in the soil till they had become
entirely insufficient to grow peas. Lee
Gumes draw very heavily on the phos-
pilates and lime in the soil. and if the
land is not supplied with these and
the crop is removed from the land and
no manure from it's feeding returned.
even the nitrogen will he exhausted.
Then go back to the Illinois circular
NO. 165. and YOU will find the follow
ing by Dr. Hopkins: Long contin-
ued Investigations clearly establish the
fact that by growing and blowing
under leSuminous crops. either directly
or in the manure, he could have ca
farmer TO whose work he referred)
secured plenty of nitrogen from tho
air. and have liberated, not only abund-
ant potassium from the ineXhaustible
supply contained in his soil, but also
phosphorus as needed. from the fine
ground natural rock phosphate plowed
under in connection with the decayiDg
organic manures"
This is just what I have been in
sistinS upon for many years. and
what has been adopted as the regular
practice by hundreds of the best wheat
growers in Maryland, who have i'm
mensely increased their wheat crops.
and use no fertilizer but acid phos-
phate. and that only on the wheat
In that section. q fertilizer dealer and
manufactures in Baltimore said that
more than SO per cent OF the fertilizers
sent there from Baltimore, not onlv
contain no nitrogen, but a large part
nothing but acid phosphate. And vet
since the abandonment OF the use OF
complete fertilizers the wheat crop
ana the corn crop of these farmers
have greatly increased in amount
No. my friend, there is no disagree
mcnt between doctors. DR. Hopkins
merely said that the mere growing or
clover and removing 1T from the land
would not maintain the fertility of the
SOIL and so say !. You must use the
clover as manure or feed. and re-
turn the manure, and have always in
sisted that the feeding is the better
farm economy, for we can recover in
the droppings more than 50 per cent
OF the manurial value of the clover,
and can certainly make a profit out OF
the feeding fro2- the 90 per cent used
up. The only. leSume'' crop, as n rule
that | would use as manure direct. IS
the crimson clover crop for corn and
on that / would put all the manurial
accommodations OF the winter rs fast
made
Hairy Vctch Seed.
Those who are buying seed of the
hairy vetch should get samples and
send them to the Department of Ag-
rlculture in Washington for cXamina
ton. There is so much worthless
Vetch seed on the market that IL is
hard TO get pure hairy vetch The
Department of Agriculture reports thai
they examined 207 different sample.
OF this seed and that in seventeen sam.
pies they found no hairy vetch at ali
While 100 samples consisted of mix
turc of hairy Netoh, spring vctch ant
weed Vetch Circular NO. 40, from the
Department OF Agriculture. gives IN,
names ot the dealers and the extern
To which the seed is adulteratcd Thi.
circular can be had on application FIRE,
from the Secretary OF Agriculture il
Washington. u. c. The true hair,
Netch seed is worth 81 TO Sc a bushci
and the other Vetches used for adul
teraticn can be bought for 81 n bushe!
While the hairy vctch is hardy al
over the country, the varieties uset
are most OF them not hardy or valna
BILE except in the Pacific Coast Yo,
can detect these adulterants by crush
ing the seed. The seed Of the hair,
vctch. when it is crushed, rs brigh
yellow. while the seed of the othc
species is either fawn, salmon or red
dish orange ia color. ana IL any O
these colors show in crushed seed.
SHOWS the aduitcratiOn. Iuy the see
only from q scotsman OF reDutatlo,
Vctch.
Wheat nnd Rye as Winter Cover Crop,
'Wnl you please give me Your opin
ion asa to which is best as white
cover. and which has the most com
rncrcial value TO land wheat or rvt
find by sowing side by side undo
the same conditions. that wheat viii
make twice as much grazing as ~
but I cannot decide which Is best 10
the Improvement of the LANAI Sow
merely for pasture and winter cove,
wheat is certainly better Than ~.
and The pasture is better feed 8
far as the Improvement Of the Ian
is concerned IN turning under cithe
there Will not be great deal of oft
ference, for they do not, like Glove
add any nitrogen 10 the soil but wha
they get from the soil. II you WAY
the best winter cover and forage to-
sow wheat and crimson clover. Wher
live II Is now very common practic
10 SOW wheat and crimson clover for
hay crop, which is cut as soon as III
clover blooms. and without regard
the condition OF the wheat. The clc
YER MI h. -,