Milford chronicle., 1921-03-04
CRIMSON CLOVER ADDS
NITROGEN TO SOIL

A large part of the value of Grim
son clover lies in the ability which it
shares with other clovers to utilize
the nitrogent of the air and add it to
| the soil, say specialists of the United
State Department of Agriculture.
When encouraged to do this, crimson
clover is a valuable soil improVer. If
it is planted on rich land it will util-
ize the nitrogent already present in
the soil and is not stimulated to con-
tribute anything to its own support
or to the support of other crops.
Crimson clover is winter annual
plant of the true clover group. 1t is
also known as scarlet clover, French
clover, Italian clover, and German clo-
yer. It is the only annual true clover
that is of more than incidental agri-
cultural importance in the eastern
United States. 1t owes its place in the
crop rotation of the Atlantic Coastal
Plain to the fact that it can be plant
ed when the land is not occupied by
ordinary summer crops. Usually it is
sown following grain crop or in an
intertilled crop in late summer, and is
ready to harvest for hay, to pasture,
crop in the spring. South of central
Delaware it may even be cut for seed
and the stubble plowed under in time
for seeding a quick-maturing strain
of corn. Grown in the off season Of the
year, crimson clover is one of the
most economical legumes that can be
produced for green manure, and it has
been largely used for that in the reg
ions to which it is adapted.
The many ways by which this crop
may be utilized are discussed by
plant specialists of the United States
Department of Agriculture in Farm
ers' Bulletin 1142, "Growing Crimson
Clover"
An Early Importation
Though it was brought from Europe
to this country in 1918, its value as
a forage plan was not recognized un-
til about 1880. The plant does not
withstand either extreme heat or cold,
and is best adapted to soil that is
not very rich and to climate where
the winters are not severe. Ordinarily
it can not survive the winter in lati-
tudes north of southern Pennsylva-
mia, while in some of the Southern
States it is frequently killed by dry,
hot weather in the fall or spring.
It's growth is comparable to that of
winter wheat. Planted in the fall, 1t
lies more or less dormant throughout
the winter and completes its growth
in the spring. If the summers are
not too hot it can sometimes be plant
ed in the spring and grown as a sum-
mer crop, but for this purpose other
clovers are usually preferred. Corn in
the summer with crimson clover in
the winter is a cheap and convenient
method of growing cash crop and
soil-improving crop in the same year.
The reputation of crimson clover as a
crop increaser is largely based on this
simple rotation. Instances are by no
means rare where the yield of corn
has been gradually increased from 10
bushels to as high as 20 bushels to the
acre by this means. The difficulty
which this method presents is the pos
sibility of failure of the young clover
through the drought. The growing
corn makes a heavy demand on the
soil moisture, and if there is not
enough water for both clover and
corn the latter gets the larger share
and the clover plants are likely to sue
cumb.
Crimson clover may be seeded in
practically any Of the cultivated truck
crops, which receive their last culti-
walton from 8 to IL weeks before the
fist frost. It is not wise to seed Glow
er in late potatoes, sweet potatoes, or
other root crops, as the digging in the
fall practically destroys the clover.
Neither does it do well when sown in.
to cowpeas, sorghum, or watermelons,