62 



the magnesia of the low-grade sulfate may not ultimately 

 prove valuable. Certainly Ix'ttcr clover is seldom seen than 

 that produced on certain of the fields of the college farm 

 during the past year, which have been during the past few 

 seasons top-dressed with basic slag meal and low-grade sulfate 

 of potash. If the high-grade sulfate of potash, however, is 

 selected for use in connection with manure in preparing for 

 clover, it is believed that an annual application at the rate 

 of about 150 to 175 pounds per acre will supply the element 

 potash in sufficient quantities for clovers on most soils. These 

 materials (basic slag meal and sulfate of potash) should be 

 mixed after the land has been plowed, spread broadcast and 

 harrowed in. 



Fertilizers withont Manures. 

 In some cases the farmer will desire to bring his soil into 

 suitable condition for clovers in rotation by application of 

 fertilizers alone to preceding crops. In such cases the ma- 

 terials which have just been considered should constitute the 

 main reliance, but they should be used in connection with 

 materials which will furnish nitrogen in sufficient quantities 

 for the preceding crops. Both the slag and potash, however, 

 must be used in somewhat larger quantities; and the writer 

 would suggest as suitable for most cases basic slag meal 800 

 pounds and high-grade sulfate of potash 200 pounds, though 

 these amounts may, of course, wisely be varied to some extent 

 according to the crop which precedes the clovers. What ma- 

 terials it will be best to use for the purpose of supplying the 

 needed nitrogen for the preceding crop, and in what quan- 

 tities, it is impossible to say without knowledge as to what 

 that preceding crop is to be. If corn, only moderate quan- 

 tities of nitrogen would be required, and this may wisely be 

 furnished in materials furnishing this element in forms vary- 

 ing in availability. As a rule, the needed nitrogen may 

 wisely be obtained by a combination of nitrate of soda, tank- 

 age and possibly raw bone meal ; and for corn, in the propor- 

 tion of about one ]iart of nitrate to three of tankage and two 

 or three of bone meal. The total qiiiiutities of these materials 

 which it will be profitable to use for corn in connection with 



