Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-02-27

food, but which has been developed
into a good hay plant, if cut at the
proper time and which has been found
to be of great value for = pasture,
should also be the best plant of the
clover group in enriching soil is a
cognized from the first as a plant that
would immaculate" soil SO it would
produce alfalfa.
Does Well In Other States
That other states are finding that
In very poor soil, or in semi-arid, OF
where the rainfall is less than twenty
per year. sweet clover is the
best friend of the farm is shown in
two recent developments, one in I'LL
nols and the other in Nebraska.
IN the Illinois experiment, conduct
ed In the southern part of the state
where the lands are very poor, sweet
clover was used as a rotation crop,
being planted with wheat one year
n the spring growth turned under
Tor corn after n years hay and pas
ture. This treatment brought land
which had averaged nineteen bushels
OF corn per acre up to thirty-five BUSH
els with a similar increase on the oats
and wheat crops. This test was con-
Quoted by the Agricultural School Of
III University of Illinois.
"As q soil enriching crop, the
white lowered sweet clover stands at
the head of the list says one of the
instructors in speaking of the expert
ment. The report also gives sweet.
clover the palm as the best temporary
pasture crop. . ~
Tried Ont In Nebraska
The Nebraska experience is espec-
tally applicable to support the bpinion
of Mr.. Catron, Is it refers to condi-
tons quite sin4;.2r to the general con-
ditions in the grazing countries Of
North Dakota.
Sweet clover is a land builder and
unlike many lesumes, sweet clover will
make a good growth on soils too de-
pletedf in hurnus for profitable corn
production" Gays one Of the Nebras-
ka authorities. Sweet clover adds
humus to the soil by the decaying
roots, together with the stems and
stubble, when plowed under. In COM
mon with other legumes, it has the
power of fixing atmospheric nitrogen
by means Of nitrogen gathering bac-
terra in the nodules of the roots.
Sweet clover is growing in favor
for pasture as it will pasture more
than double as many head to the
acre as the ordinary pasture because
it can be pastured late the first sea-
son and early in the second. Some
stock like it from the first and others
learn to like it.
Easy To Grow
"A stand OF sweet clover is much
easier obtained than alfalfa as it is
a harder plant and can be sown with
a nurse crop to good advantage. It
will grow on poorer soil, in drier land
q nd -tI1 o~~Srh tho .-@ ,,~ -,f~J-1-
than alfalfa.
by rotating with sweet clover, you
can W. the whole farm in a few
years without losing the use >of any
land and in the mean time have the
best of pasture. You can keep more
stock because you have more and
cheaper pasture land. It enables the
farmer to keep and milk more cows.
1t is one Of the finest honey plants in
existence" g
= Experience OF. the Nebraska farm:
instructors of the University Of Illi-
nois in the ability of sweet clover to-
increase production of other crops.
One dirt farmer is quoted as fol-
lows: 2
TN 1913 I, sowed forty acres of
stalk ground to spring wheat, putting
in about five pecks of seed to the acre.
i sowed 20 pounds of yellow sweet
clover on this same tract when the.
wheat was ,disked. 1t yielded twelve
bushels of spring wheat to the acre.
In 1919, I cut the first crop of clover
for seed and threshed six and a hall
bushels. Part. of this land was sown
to oats in the spring of 1920, on top
Of the clover stubble, making forty.
n bushels to the acre, while other
land in the vicinity was making TWEEN
ty-three to twenty-seven bushelss
Clover was coming thick so I left it,
and in 1921 this oats land produced
a voluntary crop of clover, which, cut
for seed made SIS bushels. The ball
OF the 1919 clover land. was put.
to. corn in 1920 and to oats in 1921.
both crops doubling adjoining tracts.