The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1920-03-17
Time to Return to
Clover IS Advise
Of Department
ESSENTIAL IN ROTATIONS TO
CONSERVE FERTILITY
OF SOIL.
Corn Wheat Clover the Most Impor-
tant Combination; Use Adam
d0ned Because of War
Time Need.

1t is time to get the land back into
clover, says the United States De-
|partment of Agriculture.
During the war the Department of
Agriculture impressed on the farm
crs the worlds need for cereals, and
the acreage in wheat and corn was
materially increased This naturally
resulted in a decrease in the acreage
in clover. Judging from the figures
gathered by the Bureau of Crop Esti-
mates, covering the production Of
pure clover hay, the acreage in this
crop decreased in 1918 below that of
1917 about 20 per cent in the main
portion of the clover belt When it
is considered that between the census
years 1899 and 1909 the acreage had
already decreased some 40 per cent
in this area, the decline in clover Gull
ture seems to have gone so far as
to threaten to be serious.
Rotation Widely Supported.
The practice of rotating crops is
advocated by the department. and all
agricultural experiment stations. Of
all the rotations the most important
is n-wheat-clover, with oats in
place of. wheat where the corn occu-
seeding wheat in time.
The Ohio Station found that in con-
tinuous culture for 20 years the yield
of wheat fell from 9.24 bushels as an
average for the first decade to 5.79
bushels the second, while in Swear
corn-Wheat-clover rotation the yield
first decade to 1918 the second. The
/ Ind Sfo% IL
the -wheat-clover rotation in
creased the total value of the pro-
ducts when timothy took the place of
clover by S8.07 in one case and $3.50
in another. The Illinois Station, as a
result of long series of trials, found
that corn after clover yielded twice
what corn after corn yielded and also
more than corn in the corn-oats ro-
tation. The Missouri Station found
that 6 year rotation with clover
and timothy the last 3 years was fin
ancially profitable and maintained the
productivity of the soil.
Some rotation should be used, and
clover should be an important element
in the rotation, but the particular ro-
tation selected must depend on local
and economic conditions. The organic
matter in the soil is used up most
rapidly when the land is in corn or
wheat. 1t can be replaced by turn
! ing under crop residues, but legumes
alone can add nitrogen as we'll as
organic matter to the soil.
| Rich Soil Under Clover.
The Pennsylvania Station fount
that of soils under various crops the
soil under mature clover was richest
lin organic matter and in nitrogen
followed by the soil containing clover
residue or under young clover. G. G
/ Williams, of the Ohio Station, said il
the Ohio Farmer: "Inability tt
dress cultivated land once in to
years with manure, or failure to pillow
under a full crop of clover or it!
equivalent as frequently, may be ex
pected, sooner or later, to bring abou
conditions in which. commercial nitro
gen can be used with profit"
But can the general farmer affor,
to buy commercial nitrogen when h
ican get the nitrogen through the Glow
er crop? This is the question farm
ers must consider now. In spite o
the high cost of seed, farmers will b
WE'LL advised if they do not neglec
the clover crop.
- #* .
READ THE LAST LINE TWICE
During the war the farmers
planted wheat.
The world needed bread.
Now is the time to get back to
clover.
The land needs clover.