Middletown transcript., 1920-04-10

prepared by tho 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-
ber 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 soil containing four
things organic matter, nitrogen,
potash, phosphoric acid.
OF these feur essential things, clover
supplies two, organic matter and nitro
gen. It cannot add phosphorus or
potash, but it can return what it
takes out. The most important point
is that clover in the crop rotation will
supply the nitrogen or most Of it.
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 1sed Is Right.
Here are some of the things they
say about sowing clover this spring.
Clover seed is high-probably GO
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 at
ford to take a chance by not testing
it.
Clover seed is most commonly sown
on winter wheat in the early spring.
This is ordinarily good practice, but
If the wheat field was left rough in
the fall the seed bed may not be IA
vorable and much seed may be wasted
Clover needs a seed bed that is firm
below but fine and loose on top. Use
a drill when possible. On loamy 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 Clover.
As rule red clover will not do well
on land that is ''sour" either natural
" or because it has been SO long
cropped that the lime in the soil has
been used up. There are occasional
exceptions. Clover has been known
| to do we'll on land that had a lime re
quirement of 1,4OO pounds an acre
but this land had been heavily ma.
nured and fertilized. Usually clover
wants soil that is neutral or nearly
so. It is a safe statement that in
most cases where clover goes out OF
fails to make a fair crop two tons OF
ground limestone an acre would helI
a great deal. In many cases this
would make the difference between
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, e1
cept in the rare case when this ele
ment is decidedly the limiting rae
tor. Lime, however, is fundamental
There is generally no use seeding REQ
clover on "sour" soil.
| Use for AIsiI<e Clover.
If the farmer cannot lime and thu
land is worn or "sour," or If the land
is poorly drained, low, and damp
alsike clover should be seeded. It Is
common practice now to mix the ret
clover with alsike for worn or partly
rundown land. Alsike likes lime. too
but it will make a crop on land tina
will not bring red clover. This L
especially true II the soil is botl
"sour'' and damp. OF course. sol
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