No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 495 



has not been drawn from soil sources, Still, suggestions as to 

 changes in practice which may result in increasing the area and 

 yield of more useful crops may be of service. For example, in 

 growing corn, it has been demonstrated beyond a doubt that this 

 crop may be grown on good land many years in succession on the 

 same land, while at the same time maintaining, if not increasing, 

 the yield of crop, provided a crop of crimson clover is grown and 

 plowed dow^n. That is, because of the holding fast of the soluble 

 constituents liable to be lost in fall and spring, and because of the 

 accumulation of vegetable matter and of nitrogen, by virtue of the 

 clover crop, the corn is supplied' with a greater abundance of mineral 

 elements and of nitrogen each year, and the soil is not exhausted 

 of its vegetable matter. 



Soils naturally rich in minerals, with the improved physical char- 

 acter, due to the introduction of the catch crops, will provide the 

 corn plant with a full supply from year to year without direct or 

 heavy applications of fertilizer supplies. This practice would be 

 very desirable on dairy farms, where a large yield of corn for the 

 silo is an important factor. It may be modified still further and 

 made more profitable by using a part of the clover instead of turn- 

 ing it under, as in the middle States the clover will be ready to 

 harvest from the middle of May until the first of June, depending 

 upon the season, or in time to permit the proper maturity of corn 

 planted after that date. Hence, when the clover is seeded for the 

 purpose of using in part on pasture, forage or hay, the land should 

 be cultivated as nearly level as possible, and the corn stubble broken 

 dowm or rolled off in winter. The crop may be pastured earlier 

 than any other clover, and it may be cut for green forage or hay 

 by the 20th of May, or in time for the planting of another crop. 

 The removal of the clover, of course, results in reducing the amount 

 of vegetable nitrogenous matter introduced into the soil, and for 

 best results the soils should be matured in addition to the applica- 

 tion of the mineral constituents, though in many cases the harvest- 

 ing will be imperfect and a very sufficient amount left to consid- 

 erably increase the supplies for the corn crop. 



Where the rotation consists of corn, late potatoes, wheat and 

 clover, the crimson clover seeded in the corn may be allowed to 

 partially mature, thus making a very considerable addition of food 

 to the soil for the potato plant. This is a very excellent rotation, 

 resulting in very materially improving the soil, particularly when 

 the potato crop is a profitable one, as it enables the use of two clover 

 crops, both contributing to soil improvement, besides, the potato 

 is not an exhaustive crop. In this rotation the cow pea could not 

 be readily introduced, as the w^heat should be sown almost imme- 

 diately after the potatoes are removed. 



