702 Grasses and Leguminous Crops in New York 



Lime is a necessary plant food for clover. Each ton of clover 

 hay contains from 45 to 65 pounds of lime. In many soils there 

 is not enough available lime to supply this need, and the crop 

 suffers both in quality and quantity. 



It may not be out of place, after emphasizing the importance- of 

 lime in clover production, to say emphatically that it will not 

 furnish moisture, provide other kinds of plant food, drain the 

 land, nor fit the soil. 



LACK OF AVAILABLE PLANT FOOD 



Clover turned under, or clover sod, will increase the nitrogen 

 and the vegetable matter in the soil, but it will return only what 

 mineral matter it took from the soil, hence the necessity of adding 

 potash and phosphoric acid. While clover will help build up soil, 

 it is useless to sow it on land too poor to grow less-exacting crops ; 

 yet how often we hear or read the advice given in answer to the 

 question, " How shall I restore my poor soil ? " " Sow clover and 

 plow it under." To sow it is easy — but expensive. On such land, 

 however, there will be little opportunity to plow it under. 



No applied fertilizer is so certain to give returns in growing 

 clover as manure. It not only contains plant food, but supplies 

 humusrmaking material of the very best sort. It acts as a mulch 

 and is an important and often necessary medium for the spread 

 of clover bacteria. I know of no place where manure will bring 

 greater and more lasting returns than when applied to clover, either 

 at time of seeding or in late summer or fall. Six or seven tons 

 per acre applied with a spreader has more than once made the 

 difference between a large and a poor crop. After the former, 

 the land was naturally better for the clover crop. 



Next to manure, potash usually pays best on clover. The present 

 high price for this commodity is prohibitive. Wood ashes are a 

 good source of this element and contain a small amount of phos- 

 phoric acid and considerable lime. One can usually purchase the 

 last two in other forms at less cost. Much of the so-called " wood 

 ash " of commerce contains very little potash or anything else of 

 value. Such should always be purchased under a guaranteed 

 analysis of potash and other plant foods contained. Real ash will 

 show an average analysis of about 5 or per cent potash and iVii 



