230 STATK BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



supcrpliosphate, but does contain considerable potash. It is found that appli- 

 cations of superphosphate of lime render soluble the potash in the soil, which 

 may account partly for the value of superphosphate when applied to this crop. 



As the majority of farms in this JStatc do not have such an inexhaustible 

 store of accessible fertility stored up ready for use as the farms referred to, 

 most farmers are obliged to resort to some method of enriching; their soil to 

 grow good crops. 



There are three ways: 1st,, by the use of clover and plaster; 2(\, by feeding 

 stock and making manure ; 3d, by the use of the commercial fertilizer.--, guano, 

 superphosjihate, bone dust, etc. I shall speak of the first two only. 



CLOVER. 



It is well settled that on nearly all soils the growth of a clover crop, whether 

 we feed it off on the ground, cut it for hay or for seed, or plow it under, leaves 

 the land richer or more fertile. Wheat, corn, potatoes, all do better when 

 preceded by a clover crop. Yet, chemical analysis shows that a crop of clover 

 takes off more of the valuable manurial elements in the soil than almost any 

 crop we raise. Clover being one of the large leaved plants is supposed to re- 

 ceive a large amount of its nourishment from the atmosphere, the roots run 

 down deep and have the power of corroding or decomposing the materials in 

 the soil and absorbing them, much greater than other ordinary crops; there is 

 a large growth of roots in the upper ten inches of soil, and in these roots du- 

 ring the growth of the plant will be stored up a large amount of plant food. 

 From testing to see what amount of clover roots is left in the ground after 

 cutting a crop of hay, it has been found by digging up patches a yard square 

 and twelve inches deep in several places in a field, carefully washing the roots 

 and weighing them, and then estimating the amount on an acre, that rich 

 ground would yield from four to eight or more tons. 



These roots are rich in plant food, and contain enough manure to grow a 

 good crop of wheat or corn. Now in the process of rotting which these roots 

 undergo when broken up with the plow, they decompose a large amount of 

 the insoluble materials in the soil making them fit for plant food, the decay- 

 ing roots leave little openings through the earth that admit air that also tends 

 to decompose matter in the soil, and the earth is left loose and will therefore 

 retain moisture longer, and will be in better condition to promote the growth 

 of other plants. If a large growth of clover is turned under with the roots, 

 still more manure is furnished for the succeeding crop. 



On farms in a good state of cultivation where stock are kept, it will not 

 often be good economy to plow under a heavy crop of clover. It is worth too 

 much for feed, and if the maiuure made by feeding the clover is put back on 

 the laud, there is not a very great loss in manurial matter. 



It is often stated by practical farmers that pasturing the clover does not 

 have so good an effect on the land as to let it mature for hay and take off the 

 hay. It IS also sometimes stated that the land will grow a larger crop the next 

 year if a crop of hay and crops of seed are both taken olf. 



In most farm crops the ripening of the seed or fruit is very exhaustive on 

 the soil. If we cut off a wheat crop at or before the time of blossoming, the 

 laud will not be run so much as it would if the wheat were allowed to mature. 

 In allowing clover to ripen its seed this does not seem to be the case, and it 

 may be accounted for perhaps by the greater accumulation of roots left in the 

 soil to decay when the clover is allowed to make the second growth in the latter 

 part of summer. The larger part of the leaves drop off and are also left to 



