LEGl'MINOUS CROPS. 



581 



As an Adjunct to Pastures. 



As an adjunct to pastures clovers are of mestimable value in this State. 

 In the coastal districts White clover has increased the productiveness of 

 couch, paspahnn. and other grass pastures to a very great extent. The 

 manner in which it will grow on the poorest of soils is particularly note- 

 worthy, while on the rich volcanic soils of the northern rivers it provides 

 the necessary supplementary constituent to complete a ration. In the 

 interior, particularly in the south-west and Biverina, Ball and Woolly 

 clovers are very abundant, often dominating the situation. Their capacity 

 to fatten lambs in the spring is well known. 



As Rotation and Green Manure Crops. 



The value of clover as a rotation and as a green manure crop has long 

 been recognised, but practically little work has been done in this direction 

 in this State; some striking results, however, were obtained at Bathurst 

 Experiment Farm by following a wheat crop on Scarlet clover. The advan- 

 tage of growing Scarlet clover as compared with maize and wheat as previous 

 rotation crops to wheat is well shown by the following table. The crop sown 

 was Cleveland wheat. 



Previous crop. 



Manure per acre. 



See<l sown 

 per acre. 



Yielfl of hay. 



Yield of jrrain. 



Bed clover has been used as a rotation crop at Glen Innes Experiment 

 Earm for many years with satisfactory results. 



Clovers, in common with other legumes, possess the property of obtaining 

 nitrogen (more than they need for their growth) from the air. It has been 

 ascertained in Canada that a vigorous crop of clover will produce as much 

 nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash as can be obtained from an application 

 of 10 toils of ordinary barnyard manure per acre. The exact figures are as 

 follows : — 



Clover: — 

 Nitrogen 

 Bhosphoric acid 

 Potash 



Barnyard Manure (10 tons per acre) 

 Nitrogen 

 Phosphoric acid 

 Potash 



100 to 150 lb. per acre. 

 30 to 45 lb. „ „ 

 85 to 115 lb. „ „ 



100 lb. per acre. 

 50 lb. „ „ 

 90 lb. „ „ ■ 



The significance of clovers and other legumes as rotation crops has not 

 been thoroughly realised. Eor example, many of the best wheat-farmers in 

 the south-west and Biverina adopt the method of fallowing for two or three 



