CLOVER (ilJOWN IN (;A1M)I:N sou, 11.-, 



huiulred yards distant from the ('\[)('rimrii!al fuld, on soil 

 which had been under ordinary kitelicn-^ardcn cultivation lor 

 probably two or three centuries. In view of the failuiv> in 

 the attempt to grow clover continuously on ordinary arabli 

 land, it is remarkable that, under these conditions, the crop 

 has gi'own luxuriantly almost every year since — 100:3 bein«^' the 

 fiftieth season of the continuous growtli. At the comnu nee 

 nient the percentage of nitrogen in the surface-soil of the 

 garden w^as four or five times as high as in that of the arable 

 soil of the field; and it would doul)tless be richer in all other 

 manurial constituents also. Indeed, after the growth of clover 

 for twenty-five years in succession, even the second 9 inches of 

 the garden clover soil was found to l)e still very nuich rieher 

 in nitrogen than the first 9 inches in the Hoos field. Table 

 LV. gives the results for each of the fifty years of experiment 

 with clover on the rich garden soil. The second cohunn 

 shows the number of cuttings each year, the third the 

 amounts of produce per acre reckoned in the condition oi 

 dryness as hay, the fourth the amount of dry substance, and the 

 last the estimated amounts of nitrogen per acre in the crops. 

 At the bottom of the table are given the average annual result.^ 

 over the two periods of twenty-five years each, and over the 

 total period of fifty years, 1854-1903. It should be stated that 

 as the garden clover plot is only a few yards square, 

 calculations of produce per acre can only give approximation^ 

 to the truth; but it is believed that they can be thoroughly 

 relied upon so far as their general indications are concerned. 



Confining our attention to the amounts of produce reckoned 

 as hay, and to the estimated amounts of nitrogi'U in the product,-, 

 it is seen at a glance that, excepting a few occasional years of 

 very high produce during the later periods, the amount of crop 

 is very much greater in the first twenty-five years than in the 

 second twenty-five year.s. In fact, as is seen at the foot of thr 

 table, there was an average annual jnoduec (Mpial to 7»;<)1 n>. ot 

 liay over the first half, but of only :)'.tL!4 lb. ovef the latter iiall 

 of the period of fifty years. 



