206 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



Clover acts as a fertilizer in various ways. Its long roots not only penetrate the soil, 

 loosening it and admitting the air, thus improving its mechanical condition, but also serve to 

 fix in the soil those elements important to enrich it. When these roots decay, they contribute 

 their substance to further increase the fertilizing properties of the land. The heavy foliage of 

 clover also serves to choke out the weeds that would be liable to spring up on newly seeded 

 land. It also heavily shades the surface, which tends to increase the fertility of the soil by 

 this means. It has been found that while clover takes out of a soil probably as much of some 

 of the elements of fertility as many of the farm crops, even more than wheat or other cereals, 

 it leaves in it a much larger portion of nitrogen and nitrogenous elements than any other 

 crop. And it is a fact worthy of note, that a crop of grain will grow better after a crop of 

 clover than it will after any other crop. The amount of nitrogen left in the soil by a crop of 

 clover was found (as we have previously stated), by the careful investigations of Prof. 

 Voelcker, who is one of the best authorities on agricultural chemisty the world has ever known, 

 to be equal to two and a half to three tons per acre. He also found, that on soils where clover 

 had been grown, not only is all that nitrogen collected and stored up in the soil by the clover, 

 but it is left when spring returns in a much better condition to produce a grain crop than any 

 other fertilizer that could be applied. These investigations were made at different depths of 

 the soil, taking six inches at a time until the depth of eighteen inches was reached. From 

 the thorough investigations thus made, Prof. Voelcker arrived at the following conclusions: 



1. That a good crop of clover removes from the soil more potash, more phosphoric acid, 

 more lime, and other mineral matters which enter into the composition of the ashes of our 

 cultivated crops, than any other crop usually grown in the country. 



2. There is fully three times as much nitrogen in a crop of clover as in the average pro 

 duce of the grain and straw of wheat per acre. 



3. Notwithstanding the large amount of nitrogenous matter, and of the ash constituents 

 of plants in the produce of an acre, clover is an excellent preparatory crop for wheat. 



4. During the growth of clover, a large amount of nitrogenous matter accumulates in 

 the soil. 



5. This accumulation, which is greatest in the surf ace -soil, is due to decaying leaves 

 dropped during the growth of clover, and to an abundance of roots, containing, when dry, 

 from one and three-quarters to two per cent, of nitrogen. 



G. The clover-roots are stronger and more numerous, and more leaves fall on the 

 ground, when clover is grown for seed, than when it is mown for hay. In consequence, more 

 nitrogen is left after clover -seed than after hay, which accounts for wheat yielding a better 

 crop after clover-seed than after hay. 



7. The development of roots being checked when the produce in a green condition is 

 fed off by sheep, in all probability leaves still less nitrogenous matter in the soil than when 

 clover is allowed to get riper, and is mown for hay. Notwithstanding the return of the pro 

 duce in the sheep-excrements, wheat is generally stronger, and yields better, after clover 

 mown for hay, than when the clover is fed off green by sheep. 



8. The nitrogenous matters in the clover- remains, on their gradual decay, are finally 

 transformed into nitrates, thus affording a continuous source of food, on which cereal crops 

 specially delight to grow. 



It is thus seen that clover is one of the best fertilizers known for preceding almost any 

 crop. Clover is also a most valuable agent in restoring the fertility of exhausted lands by 

 being plowed under when green. The leaves gather food from the atmosphere, and this 

 food it stores up in its roots and stems, which by their decomposition afford a peculiar 

 nitrogenous element to crops. The texture of many soils is also greatly improved by the use 

 of clover as a green manure. This subject of manuring with green crops will be found more 

 fully treated in connection with Fertilizers, and hence does not require a further considera- 

 ation here. 



