36 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



the clover plant actually produces nitrogen. The soil that 

 has Hve thousand pounds of nitrogen in it this year, if it 

 grows a crop of clover next year and we take off two tons 

 of clover hay, actually has more nitrogen in it than it did the 

 year before. That we have positive proof of. We know 

 that leguminous })lants are able to bring us more nitrogen 

 through the office of the animal organisms which live upon 

 the roots of the plants. Now, it seems to me that the work 

 of the farmer is somehow to catch his sunbeam and get the 

 carbonaceous matter — that is, energy, that is, heat — out 

 of it and give it to the soil, and take out the potash and 

 phosphoric acid and give it to the soil. Then, on the other 

 hand, take the clover and brini; out the nitroo-en and g^ive it 

 to the soil, and give it to the air through the office of the 

 microbe and the clover root. 



Now, I want to go back to the point I raised, and that is 

 this, — not to stop feeding grain where it is necessary, but 

 to see if we cannot raise more of this great plant that we 

 have, and learn how to raise it. We had about seventy 

 bushels of shelled corn to the acre this year, and our corn 

 field has never seen a hoe, and I Avill undertake to say that 

 there are no weeds there that a man need to feel at all bad 

 about. We have raised over eighty bushels to the acre. 

 You cannot do as well here, because your climate is colder. 

 Your soil is as good, your men are as smart and may be a 

 little smarter, but your climate is a little colder. 



Now, I ask you, — for I came here to get knowledge, — 

 I ask you in all fairness if it is not time that we went right 

 out into the field and discussed aiiriculture there, instead of 

 drawins: checks for our cattle foods? One of the farmers in 

 our State said that the ruination of a good many farmers 

 was that they paid out all their money for cattle food, 

 and were not successful ni getting back the profit at the 

 other end. 



I noticed another thing in the speaker's paper that struck 

 me forcil)ly. lie talked of putting ten dollars' worth of 

 manure on an acre. I think that is too much manure to 

 put on an acre economically. I would as soon think of 

 feeding a horse two bushels of oats in the morning as of 

 feeding a field twenty, thirty or forty loads of manure in a, 

 year, so far as economy is con«erned. 



