28 



2. Clovers are of especial value upon the farm as stock feed on 

 account of their exceptional richness in protein. Protein, as is well 

 understood, is the most valuable of the food constituents, being essen- 

 tial to the formation of flesh and undoubtedly influencing milk pro- 

 duction to a greater degree than any other food constituent. Hay 

 made from grasses is likely to contain only 6 to 8 per cent of protein. 

 Hay made from clovers, on the other hand, is likely to contain from 

 12 to 14 per cent. Every farmer, however, who has had experience 

 knows the superior results which can be obtained in feeding when 

 good clover hay is available. This point, therefore, needs no further 

 discussion. 



3. The production of clovers under the right conditions enriches the 

 soil. This is true even when the crops produced are cut and removed. 

 Clover, as has been pointed out, is capable of taking its nitrogen from 

 the air. Not only does it take from the air under the right conditions 

 a large proportion of the nitrogen which becomes a part of its stems, 

 leaves and flowers, it takes also large amounts of nitrogen which become 

 a part of its roots. The 3 tons of clover hay which an acre of good 

 clover land will produce in a year will contain about 120 pounds of 

 nitrogen, and yet after the production of this crop the soil will contain 

 more nitrogen than it did at the start if conditions have been right, 

 for the roots and the stubble of the clover are very rich in this element, 

 and when these decay, the nitrogen they contain becomes a part of 

 the capital of the soil, and this nitrogen has been taken from the air and 

 thus brought within the reach of subsequent crops through the agency 

 of the growing clover. 



In one other direction the growth of clovers is likely to result in soil 

 improvement. Most of them are very deep-rooted plants. They have 

 long, thick tap roots which run down into the soil. As a consequence, 

 the sub-soil is opened up and mellowed. The availability of the stores 

 of plant food in it as well as in the surface soil is increased. Crops 

 which follow clovers are likely to send their roots deeper into the soil 

 than when following grasses which are more shallow rooted. Under 

 these conditions crops are less likely to suffer from drought. They 

 gather food from a wider soil area, and are consequently more certain 

 and less dependent upon applied fertility. The fact that other crops 

 almost invariably do well when following a good crop of clover is gen- 

 erally understood among farmers of experience, and these points, there- 

 fore, do not appear to need further discussion. 



4. The fact that when a clover sod is broken up the following crops 

 do exceptionally well has just been pointed out and is generally under- 

 stood. That the grasses growing in the field with clovers in permanent 

 mowings will ultimately derive great benefit from the clovers which 

 have grown with them is not so generally understood. That such is 

 case, however, cannot be doubted. European experience has demon- 

 strated it, and many observations in America confirm the results of 

 European experience. It will be of interest to consider how this effect 

 is produced. As has been pointed out, a suitable selection of fertilizers 

 will maintain a large proportion of clovers in permanent mowings. It 

 must be remembered, however, that the individual clover plants are 

 not long lived. Most of our clovers are short-lived perennials. The 

 single plant will not, as a rule, live more than two or three years. 

 Clover is permanent in the mowing simply because some of the seed 

 almost invariably ripens previous to the cutting of the crop. Con- 

 siderable numbers of individual plants undoubtedly die every year. 

 It is the decay of the roots and stubble of these j^lants which accounts 

 for the benefit to the grasses. Grasses thrive where nitrogen in avail- 



