COMMON BED CLOVER. 85 



the surface soil lies almost throughout the island 

 upon a limestone bottom, 



A soil to produce good clover crops must have 

 either more or less of lime in its composition. Al- 

 though I have seen heavy, luxuriant crops grown on 

 peaty soils, but ,the surface had been pared and 

 burnt previously. 



Boussingault found no less than 32,80 per cent of 

 lime in the inorganic constituents of red clover. It 

 is therefore evident that soils which are deficient in 

 calcarious substances must have an application of 

 gypsum, ashes, leached or, unleached or phosphates? 

 else the clover crops will soon be diminished. The 

 action of clover in increasing the fertility of soils, is 

 well explained by Professor Yoelcker ; he remarks : 

 "All who are practically acquainted with the subject, 

 must have seen that the best crops of wheat are pro- 

 duced by being preceded by crops of clover, grow r n 

 for seed. I have come to the conclusion that the 

 very best preparation, the very best manure is 

 a good crop of clover. A vast amount of mineral 

 manure is brought within the reach of the grain 

 crop, which otherwise would remain in a lockup 

 condition in the soil. The clover plants take nitro- 

 gen from the atmosphere, and manufacture it into 

 their own substance, which, on decomposition of the 

 clover roots and leaves, produces abundance of 

 Ammonia. 



In reality the growing of clover is equivalent, to a 

 great extent, to .manuring with peruvian guano, 

 and in this paper of mine, I show. that you- abtain a 

 larger quantity of manure than the largest dose of 

 peruvian guano, which a farmer would ever think 

 of applying," In England the common red clover, 



