GRASS AND HAY 29 



clover is grown. However, such is not the case, for clover and all 

 other leguminous plants store up nitrogen in the soil. This class of 

 plants is supplied with a certain kind of bacteria, which live in the 

 tubercles on their roots. These bacteria have the power of taking free 

 nitrogen from the air and making it available as food for the growing 

 plant. Much of the nitrogen thus secured is left in the soil by the 

 decay of the tubercles, roots, stems, arid fallen leaves of the legumes, 

 to the great benefit of succeeding crops. 



When a ton of clover is removed from the soil, from one-fourth 

 to three-fourths as much nitrogen is left in the roots and crowns and 

 in the fallen leaves and stems left on the ground as is removed in the 

 hay. As a greater part of this nitrogen came from the air, it is per- 

 fectly fair and proper when considering the loss of plant food in 

 growing a crop of clover to disregard or deduct it from the total 

 fertilizing value of the hay. When comparing the loss of fertilizing 

 elements of clover and timothy, there is a difference of about $3 a 

 ton in favor of clover hay. Just how much of this amount should be 

 charged to the hay when considering the profit from selling hay 

 can not be stated definitely, for the kind of soil, system of rotation 

 used, and type of farming play important parts in keeping up the 

 crop-producing power of the soil. (F. B. 362.) 



In order to grow timothy hay successfully year after year, the 

 farmer must also grow some legume crop in the rotation for either 

 hay or pasture or as a green-manuring crop, which aids in keeping 

 up the crop-producing power of the land. When considering the 

 profit from hay growing the farmer must consider not only the cost 

 of production, or growing, curing, baling, and marketing, but to a 

 certain extent the value of the fertilizing elements which the crop 

 removes from the soil. (F. B. 362.) 



Suggestions on Fertilizing for Timothy. It is difficult to make 

 definite recommendations in regard to the use of fertilizers for grass 

 lands. It is definitely known that chemical fertilizers very often, it 

 may be said usually, exert a marked influence on crops, but it is 

 almost impossible to say just what fertilizers or how much of them 

 should be used in a given case of grass land with the assurance that 

 the results will be favorable. Every farmer must experiment with 

 his own land, using the experience of other farmers and investigators 

 as suggestions only. 



Of the fertilizing elements usually applied as plant food, nitro- 

 gen seems to be the most potent factor in increasing the yield of 

 timothy and related grasses. Unlike the clovers and other legumi- 

 nous plants, timothy is incapable of acquiring any of its nitrogen from 

 the air, but must depend on that supplied to the soil. The best evi- 

 dence shows that it requires for its full development a liberal supply 

 of nitrogen throughout the growing period. This has been clearly 

 demonstrated. Nitrogen seems to attain its greatest efficiency, how- 

 ever, when judiciously combined with the mineral elements of plant 

 food, potash and phosphoric acid. In the experiments on Dunkirk 

 clay loam the best financial returns were obtained when farm ma- 

 nure was applied at the rate of 20 tons per acre. Similar results 



