Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1921-08-08
GLOVER sEEbLT
$2 q ! 'B J!
The Romance Of HubaIn
Glover = invented III
Iowa; Grows Wild in
Alab4fna.. z
GROWN 70 At A AM
Excitement Caused by Won
derfm Seed Boosts
Price.
(By ROY 4. WOODY

years ago, has had an interesting his
tory. Professor Hughes of Ames in
1916 tested 500 samples of sweet clover
seed in the green hotses. One sample
which outgrew the others was saved
and later found to- be an annual Instead
of a biennial In 1913 just a few sam
pies of the seed were distributed and in
1920. 1900 samples of fifty seeds each
were given to any one who applied for
them. Mr.. James of Newborn, Ala, sent
for some seed, planted 1t in his garden
and found 1t to be the same that WAS
growing wild all over his place. He
communicated with Prof. Hughes and
the latter soon went down to, Newbern
to see 1t. a
Now, sweet clover seed has all been
gathered by hand in Alabama by ne.
groes, who 60 out with tubs where
it is growing wild on waste land, bend
the stem over the tub and rub the seed
off. It. is then taken to the nearest
country store and traded for snuff,
coffee, tobacco, etc.
To have clover seed jump from -four
bits" a bushel to $500 in one day was a
surprise to the natives and acted like
an oil boom to Newbern. OF course
we couldn't refrain from having some
fun with Prof. Hughes for raising those
% plants in a green house and hand
fertilizing the flowers when it was
growing wild in hundred acre blocks in
Alabama.
Form Association.
Be 1t said for Newbern, the people
rose to the occasion. formed an assOci-
alton and Incorporated under the name
of "The Alabama Annual White Bios
som Sweet Clover Growers association"
and set price Of $500 per b,ishel. This
year the thirty members put in about
1900 acres Of he new clover. planted it
in rows and cultivated It, This COM
pany, has gone at 1t In a business way.
right from the start. When. large
seed company OF; New Orleans landed
ship load Of annual yellow sweet clov-
er. at. New Orleans and. commenced to
advertise 1t a. Annual Sweet Clover
the Newbern association sent a man
to New Orleans who put a 4liietus on it
right at the beginning.
The thirty members Of the company
took up collection Of $3.50 each and
sent up here to the Ames college and
took the Daddy Of the Annual sweet
clover and transplanted him to the
Black Belt of Alabama.
Defines "Blaek Belt"
Now the BLACK Belt Is not 40 called
from the dusky sons Of Africa who com.
pose the largest part of the population.
nor Is 1t named from the many hop
ping, skipping and jumping fleas that
infest parts Of the Black Belt. have
never asked Mr.. Hughes II fleas would
bite professor, but know that when
l was camping in my car there were
many that seemed to prefer riding ina
Ford rather than staying at home.
But am getting away from my sub
ject. The Black Belt IL the name given
to strip of limesone which is not
black hut as white as snow. However.
the soil from the limestone Z makes
black land the world over. The Black
Belt is place where one does not leave
any tracks. When 1t Is wet person
picks them up, when 1t Is dry he does
not make any.
Where Name Csme Fv0.
This company I mentioned changed
its name to the Alabama Hnbam Glow
er association when Prof. Hughes
named the new clover Hu-Bam In honor
Of himself and Alabama. He thinks
the first plant cane as 4 sport" or
mutation from the old clover thirty or
forty years ago on the Marsette Planta-
ton. perhaps, near Newbern. There.
are some who doubt that 1t could have
been there that long without their
knowledge However, F. NJ. Wolford
Of Newbern told me more than once
that an annual white sweet clover was
growing on his place year or SO be-
fore the excitement began. doubted
there was m annual white and sup
posed 1t would be worthless ANYWAY. as
the. annual yellow sweet clover IL Of
the least value Of any OF the four sweet
clovers. still ray. although ! have
60 acres of Hubam and am not selling
q pound OF seed, that prefer the old
Reason fe1 Prize.
The reason that Hubam has sold for
almost $1,000 per bushel is that under
favorable circumstances, it will make
twice the growth Of any other clover
known during the year Of seeding. 1t
will almost do In four n,osths what the