858 IOWA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



A farmer should also know the value of clover, not only as a food, 

 but as a fertilizer. The intelligent farmer knows, but all farmres should 

 know, that clover is a great nitrogen gatherer. A clover plant may 

 be pretty above the surface of the soil, but also below the surface it 

 is full of interest. Examining the roots of a clover plant j'ou will flna 

 little knobs of swellings on the larger roots. These swellings are work- 

 shops in which the plant manufactures nitric acid in the soil. The 

 nitrogen, taken from the air, is here manufactured by swarms of min- 

 ute beiijgs into nitrates, which are plant food. Not only do these min- 

 ute beings manufacture enough for the clover plant, but it enriches the 

 soil with that food which is an element needed by all plants. This does 

 not mean that the clover will enrich the land in all the necessary ele- 

 ments, for it takes from the soil, potash and phosphoric acid, and 

 therefore, growing clover year after year on the same patch, will rob 

 the soil of these elements. Here we see that a rotation of crops becomes 

 necessary and it requires a little study to know what crops should be 

 used in this rotation. Clover is not the only plant that furnishes the 

 soil with nitrates; alfalfa, peas, beans and a few others are also nitro- 

 gen gatherers. It will not be a disadvantage to a farmer, or a farmer's 

 boy or girl for that matter, or any one else to know these things. Not 

 only the four-leafed clover, says some one, should be looked upon as 

 bringing good luck but any leaved clover should be regarded as good 

 luck to the farmer. 



Other lessons besides keeping the soil in condition, should be learned, 

 especially those of fighting pests. Those who have studied the prob- 

 lem, tell us that since the potato bug eats the leaves of the plant, we 

 can rid ourselves of these by sprinkling the leaves which they eat with 

 a poison. But they tell us that the insect commonly known as the plant 

 louse, dees not eat the plant, but sucks the juice out of the plant and 

 that consequently we cannot kill these with a poison. The way to kill 

 these, is to sprinkle the plant with something that will prevent their 

 breathing. Perhaps soap suds, tobacco water or kerosene mixed with 

 water. 



Then there are the fungus parasites which need looking after. Smut 

 in wheat is one of them. The rotting of plums and cherries as well as 

 grapes are examples of these fungus parasites. To prevent this fungi 

 the Bordeaux mixture is used to sprinkle the plant with. This seems 

 to be an effective preventive and is easily made. Take a barrel that 

 will hold at least twelve gallons, put in it five gallons of water and in 

 this water hang a sack containing one pound of blue vitriol; in another 

 vessel slack one pound of fresh quicklime also in five gallons of water. 

 When the blue vitriol has been dissolved and the lime slacked, stir the 

 lime water and strain it slowly into the barrel in which the blue 

 vitriol ^has been dissolved. Now you have the Bordeaux mixture with 

 which you may sprinkle the plant. But to sprinkle your wheat field 

 would be too big a job, therefore you will have to take another course. 



