The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1920-04-15

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture.)
Glover is the most important crop
on the, farm for keeping up the land.
Old? Yes. But perhaps you remem-
Der that once when the queen OF
France demanded something absolute
ly new in frock the dressmaker re-
piled, There is nothing new-except
what has been forgotten" Maybe the
forage crops specialist Of the United
States department of agriculture had
just that thought in mind when he
made the statement just quoted. Farm
ers have been drifting away from
clover. Apparently, some of them have
forgotten the old truth that clover is
the most important crop for keeping
the land productive, and the clover
story needs to be told again.
Crops demand a soil containing four
things-Organic matter, nitrogen,
potash, phosphoric acid.
OF these fsur essential things, clover
supplies two, organic matter and nitro
gen. It cannot add phosphorus or
potash, but it can return what it
takes ont The most important point
is that clover in the crop rotation will
supply the nitrogen or most OF 1t.
Numerous demonstrations of that fact
have been made by the state expert
ment stations. Land on which clover
is grown in rotation with other crops
makes better yields than land on
which no clover is grown. The spe-
cialiSts believe that unless there is
a more general return to clover pro-
ductivity will certainly decline.
Be Sure Seed Is Right.
Here are some of the things they
say about sowing clover this spring.
Clover seed is high-probably 60
cents a pound at retail. Do not plant
it unless you plant it right.
Have the seed tested. The state
seed laboratory or the seed laboratory
of the United States department of
agriculture will do it. You can't af-
ford to take a chance by not testing
it.
Glover seed is most commonly sown
on winter wheat in the early spring.
This is ordinarily good practice. but
the fall the seed bed may not be IA
vorabIe and much seed may be wasted.
Glover needs a seed bed that is firm
below but fine and loose on top. Use
a drill when possible. On Ioamy soil
harrow the seed in on the wheat. but
do not attempt it when the land is
wet.
If farmers would take as much
pains seeding clover as they do seed
ing alfalfa, there would be fewer
clover failures.
Best Soil for Glover.
As a rule red clover will not do well
on land that is "sour" either natural
ly or because it has been so long
cropped that the lime in the soil has
been used up. There are occasional
exceptions. Glover has been known
to do well on land that had lime re-
quirement of 1.4O0 pounds an acre,
but this land had been heavily ma
nured and fortified. Usually clover
wants soil that is neutral or nearly
so. It is a safe statement that in
most cases where clover goes out or
fails to make q fair crop two tons Of
ground limestone an acre would Eelp
a great deal. In many cases this
WOUl0 make the Qln6T6nCG USl"SCn
success and failure. In other cases
lime may have to be supplemented
with phosphOric acid or potash. The
use of potash Will not be warranted
when the price Is as high as it is, ex-
cept In the rare case when this ele-
ment is decidedly the limiting fac
tor. Lime. however, is fundamental.
There is generally no use seeding red
clover on 'tsour" soil.
Use for AIsiISe Glover.
If the farmer cannot lime and the
land is worn or 'tsOur," or If the land
is poorly drained, low, and damp.
alsike clover should be seeded. It is
common practice now to mix the red
clover with alsike for worn or partly
rundown land. Alsike likes lime, too,
but 1t will make a crop on land that
will not bring red clover. This Is
especially true IL the soil Is both
"Sour" and damp. OF course, soil