The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1920-04-29

prepared by the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture)
Clover is the most important crop
on the farm for keeping up the land.
Oidf 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. IL cannot add phosphorus or
potash, but 1t can return what it
takes out. The most important point
is that clover in the crop rotation will
supply the nitrogen or most of ii.
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-
clalists believe that unless there is
a more general return tn 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
1t unless you plant II 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 chance by not testing
IL.
Clover seed is most commonly sown
on winter wheat In the early spring.
This is ordinarily good practice, but
IL 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.
II 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 lann that is "sour" either natural
ly or because II 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 well on land that had lime re-
quirement of 1.4O0 pounds an acre,
but this land had been heavily ma
nured and fertilized Usually clover
wants soil that Is neutral or nearly
so. II is safe statement that in
mOsf cases where clover goes out or
fails TO make a fair crop tvo tons of
ground limestone an acre would help
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 II 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 "sour' soil.
Use for AIsike Glover.
II the farmer cannot lime and the
land Is worn or "sour," or II the land
is poorly drained. low, and dsmp,
alsike clover should be seeded. II is
common practice now TO mix the red
clover with alsike for worn or partly
rundown land. Alsike likes lime, too,
but II will make a crop on land that
will not bring red clover. This is
especially true II the soil Is both
"sour" and damp. Ot course. soil