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Clover As A Green Crop To Turn Under

Clover As A Green Crop To Turn Under image
Parent Issue
Day
15
Month
March
Year
1872
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Araong tho procoodings of a recent neeting of tbo Farmer' Club of Salem county, N. J., wo observe eome dicusMon on the grassos, and froin an essay pubished in tho Salom Standard wo extract ;he following as to tho aluo of as a green erop to turn under. It is often U8ed for this purpose, to reeuperafo exnausted lands of the South, and in Becions where thero uro no fertilizors or sarn-yaid nMWire8 it is as cheap, and probably the best way to bring land into iondition. It supplys organio materials whoro thero was nono, and is the initial stop at roconstructioii : " Of tho cultivatcd grasses clover is the jest, all things considevod. Besides makng excellent hay, it produces znuoll mof" pasturo than eithor of the othcis, and for ioiling it is invaluable. It will not yiekl so luuch hay per acre on very strong land, Decause it cannot stand up to mature, tiut makes a very good mixture with tiinothy on such land. Two crops of it can be grown a yeur, which cannot be done with oither of the others. Besides being valuable t'ov bay, pastoriag and soiling, to bo returned to the soil, it is invaluable as a green cn for improving land The reason apiars to be, a large part of the growth is absorbed from tho atmosplioro, and by plowing under, is depositod in the ground for fortilizing other crops. Heroin appears to be. its great value. Neither marl (unless it bo of a caleareous nature,) nor piaster will mako wheat ilirectly (although marl has the reputation of containing an average of 2 1-2 per cent. of phosphoric acid, the great wheat fertilizar,) but thi;y are the gruat stiinulaute for oiover and other grassus wlicn appüed to tho aurfaoe by the ivttraction thoy havo for ammonüi and other fertilizcrs in the atmosphorc, or trom somo other cause, and clover turncil undor will produce any otlier erop. Thus we sec clover is a direct fertilüer because it returns to tho bind much more fchan it draws trom it, while ot' thu other greenorops sonie aro but little, and some of no benefit. ïherefore it is reasonable to concludo that the other r.rops had previously absorbed frem the land what thoy had returned to it. " The value of clover turuod under, ar af oiover sod, depends very much ori the amount of vegetable matter oontaiued therein. S.hu;' f.umcrs have contended thut tho roots contain a larga per cent, of vegetable matter when compared with tho tops. To test this question fairly I went inte a field of seeond erop of clover last suumei wherc tho soil was derp, rich and loamy, with a subsoil of li lts nature, so that the roots could easily strike doop, and dug several stools of clover with roots 12 inohes long, tupering to á point neaily. Tho roots wero washed carefully. The tops wore measurod in length, not in hoight (for it was all lodged) iroin two to three feet and over. The tops and roots were separatcd and weighed in tho proportion of 5 to 1 while green ; and when well dried the same. The clover, if then cut and curod, would lwive mado 1 1-4 tons of hay to tho acre md as tho roots WW6 only as one to five of the tops, this would give only 500 lbs ;o the acre of dricd roots ; and as only oue eighth of this bv weight is bolow the ■each of the ordinary plow of 5 nohes md the ruach of tho main body of the roots of our field crops, which is only G2 1-2 lbs to thu aero, v thus soe the absurdity of tUo fcip iTota of the clover to nuch extent fortilizing the subsoil. The - 1-2 lbs. below tho iive inches taken ;rom the 500 hundred pounds, the wholt amount of roots, loaves but 437 1-2 lbs of roots in the soil if dricd.. Tho estímate i for the largest growth of cloyer. nary crops aie much smaller, 320 pounds of dry roots in tho soil abovo the dopth of ö iachcs, and 40 pouuds below i', being a fair estimaie. " The first erop of clover on the land alludod to was very heavy, at least a ton to the aero more than the second erop. Cbnsequently the proportion of the roots to the tops was as nine to one, providec tho roots had not grown any with the growth of tho second erop. "It is perhap3 abovitfair to suppose th clover stubble, leaves and hay left on th ground in guthuring tho crops is abou equal in weight to that of the roots, o 5O0 ponnds to tho acre. This with th wholu roots will make bat 1,000 pounds or half a' tou to tho acre of dry vegetabl ruutter tlie very best clorer sod, exelu sivo of tho humus, and while green fou times as mueh by weight. Where th soil is already suppliod with humus anc othersubstances, cotnprising a good soi this half a ton of dry vegetable mattej or lts equivalent, two tons of green mat ter, will, in an ordinary season, on gooc land, with good culture, insuro "o bush els of corn to the aero, or a orop of olave additional or 25 to 30 bushols of wheat.'

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus