Year: 1879




loans or clays clover roots penetrate Ia,
subsoil, opening it to the fertilizing in
tiuences of air and light. They tax,
from the subsoil the manuriaI elements
chiefly mineral, which have lain dormant
or beyond the less vigorous feeders
The surface soil on land long cropped i
| generally deficient in mineral fertilizers
As the clover plant is mainly near ol
above the surface, what is brought from
-tkes subsoil helps to make. the surface
richer. At the same time another i'm.
portant renovating process is going on
The clover leaves form g mulch, pro-
tecting the surface from the heat and
rapid evaporation Of moisture which
! would otherwise occur. Under this
shade there is strong reason to believe
that unavailable nitrogen is transformed
into nitric acid OF antics with some bare
forming nitrate, and is thus made
available as plant food.


/ omit in this enumeration of the
benefit from clover, the advantages which
many believe it to possess OF using
atmospheric nitrogen by absorption
through the leaves. This is a mooted
question, and, though important, its
decision does not involve that OF the
necessity OF growing clover. II clover
has the. power, it is probably through
the ammonia held by dews and rains on
the leaves, and is thus helped by the use
OF gypsum and land plaster, which often
produces remarkable results on the
clover plant. There can be no doubt
that growth OF clover heavy enough TO
form a mulch adds to the nitrogenous
fertility in the soil Clover is rich in
nitrogen. In the decay of its leaves and
roots it gives the soil just what is wanted
TO grow maximum crop OF any kind o.
grain. On the wheat growing soils OF
Western New York farmers have found
by experience that growing clover en-
ables them to produce as large crops OF
wheat as in early days when the virgin.
fertility of the soil was not exhausx
There is even an increase in -
cropped land regularlx


clover. Some yeaIs<


farmer had occasl


and had


fnnBgsposed Hippo


but inste


was pei


where the


when he applied a


restore equality. The
either side was without


excepting clover, and yet isr
stantly increased in fertility.


The use of clover AS manure has here
tofore been chiefly on light, sandy soil
deficient in vegetable matter. Here the
soil, when not in crops, m ust be con
tinuously seeded with it, and, as often as
possible, the entire growth of the plant
must be plowed under. Treated thus.
sandy soils, which would otherwise be-
come "a barren waste, are rendered pro-
duetive. In some localities are farms
which consist mainly of drifting sand,
which not even a mortgage will hold,
and by their side other farms naturally
no better that, by the use of clover, have
been made fertile. Pure sand has no
capacity for retaining manures. Adding
vegetable matter, as we do with clover,
we may add whatever else we choose.
with the assurance that it will remain
fixed benefit. On heavy land clover
benefits the crop by disintegrating the
too compact mass. On sand the decay
ng clover forms the soil on which the
crops must grow. 1t makes heavy soil
lighter and lighter soils heavier.


The advantages of clover in cleansing
foul land have never been appreciated.
AS usually grown, in the seedlings, it
does not have this advantage. Sown as
it should be, at least peck Of seed per
acre, and allowed TO form dense mass,
clover will smother and destroy most
annual weeds, and greatly aid in sup
pressing those hardy perennials, thistes
and quack grass. But to do .this effec-
tually, clover should be grown with the
least possible check. No pasturing
should be permitted when the ground is
moist enough to poach by the feet of
cattle or horses Especial care should be
taken of clover while young. The best
farmers now will not pasture the first
year after seeding. In season like the
present, / would make an exception.
Glover this year blossomed and in some
places seeded from last years seeding
So soon as the blossoms began to appear
/ would pasture lightly to keep down
the blossoms. This makes a rich food for
cattle or horses, and, as blossoming is
very exhaustive to the plant, light pas
turing rather promotes its vigor. But
the second year no hoof of horse or COW
should be allowed in the clover field,
except as horses are used to cut and
harvest the hay. If cut early in June
the second crop will grow more rapidly
and the crop of seed will be generally
better. 1t is during the second growth
that the clover roots make most progress
/ in penetrating the subsoil. For this
reason, as also because l ike to feed
good deal of clover hay, l have as much
as possible mown every year.
|


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