CLOVER 



33 



Thus the story continues, telling the relations of clover to 

 soil and crops. 



Red clover. This "Red Plumed Knight,'' as it is fre- 

 quently called by its admirers, is a native of Persia. Clover 

 is more generally grown as a forage crop than any other 



legume; it is adapted to a wide 

 variety of soils and climates ; it is 

 rich in nitrogen and furnishes a 

 large amount of organic matter for 

 green manure; it is nutritious, 

 palatable, and valuable as a 'feed- 

 ing substance; and it occupies an 

 important place in crop rotation. 

 It is a perennial, and, like most 

 other clovers, does best on deep, 

 rich loam that is well drained. 



Soil preparation. When the soil 

 is in the best possible tilth, the 

 clover "catch" is surer. Lime in 

 considerable quantities must be 

 present in the soil, and other min- 

 eral plant-foods, such as phosphorus and potassium, are nec- 

 essary elements in the growth of clover. In order to establish 

 a permanent and healthful soil for corn as well as for clover, 

 about one-half ton per acre of pure steamed bone-meal, or a 

 ton of fine-ground rock phosphate and two tons per acre of 

 ground limestone, where needed, should be applied once every 

 four or five years. Although clover has the power of pro- 

 curing most of its nitrogen supply from the air, through the 



FIG. 5. THE CLOVER 

 PLANT ' 



