Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1920-02-20

must be compacted or the seed bed will
dry out before the young plants get
their roots down far enough.
Be Sure Whether Lime Is Needed.
Another matter of the utmost i'm
portance is to consider whether or not
the field it is proposed to seed needs
lime. Unless the farmer is sure, he
should send a sample of the soil to his
state station and inquire. Not far from
rs per cent of the arabic land east of
the Mississippi and north of the south
ern boundary of Tennessee needs lime
to bring good crop of clover. This
fact can not be too strongly en-
phasized. If the soil is "sour'' do not
waste expensive red clover seed on
it-let some one else have it. But land
need not remain sour. A ton or two
of Underground limestone per acre
will, in the average case, put the soil
into condition to grow clover. 1t is not
necessary to put ON enough to COM
pletely satisfy the lime requirement.
The Pennsylvania station has shown
that lime requirement of 500 pounds
per acre or less did no great harm,
but when more is needed it must be
supplied if clover is to do well. Soil
with lime requirement of 1000
pounds or more per acre will usually
not make a paying crop of red clover.
If the wheat ground needs lime the
clover should be seeded with a spring
grain with lime narrowed in on the
4 plowed ground If this can not be done
the limestone may be put on the wheat
and narrowed in with the seed, though
it is not so effective when applied in
this way as when spread on plowed
ground and narrowed in. Farmers look
ing ahead for several years should con-
slider lining the corn field next spring
especially if this is to be followed by
wheat with clover on the wheat In
1921. Corn responds to lining more
than small grains do and limestone
put on in this way will prepare tht
ground well for subsequent clovel
crop. Used in this way the full amour
necessary to satisfy the lime require
ment should be used, as some will bt
lost in drainage water and some viii
be removed by the corn crop. A coat
ing of manure will help clover, am
on some soils phosphates are essential
Potash Is Scarce.
In some cases, too, potash gives goo(
results, but potash it still scarce ant
it's use will not be warranted unles
the farmer knows that it is needed
A word of warning must, however
be added in the discussion of lime
l Lime is not fertilizer. and if use
persistently without adding organi
l matter in the shape of manure or GRO
residues will eventually leave the sol
e the poorer When clover is grown tn
' nitrogen will largely take care of 1t
i self, but phosphorus and sometime
q potash will have to be added as soil
d need them. And most of all will the
t need organic matter.
e Good clover crops lie at the founds
e ton of agriculture in the northeastern
n quarter of the United States. On man
g farms good clover crops can not b
e produced without lime, but lime aIon
t will not permanently help the situs
q tion. A proper system Of rots ton wit
d clover as regular element in a thre
y or four year rotation must be adopte
) for the permanent upbuilding of tn
4 land, and then whatever else the Ian
S needs in the way of lime or fertilize
Il must be added thereto.