XI 1 BEANS AND CLOVER 



Tablb XCIM— Yiild or Beans at Rothamsted, 

 1847-1854. 



323 



More recent experiments made In- the Highland and 

 Agricultural Stxricly, and others in Ksscx, upon beans 

 under ordinary farming conditions confirm these results, 

 sliowing that nitrc^cnous manures are non-effective but 

 that the crop responds to phosphates and potash. Thus 

 in practice, when beans are l>eing grown on strong land, 

 we may reduce the manuring to 3 or 4 cwts. j>cr acre of 

 basic slag, any other ex}x:nditure on fertiliser is not 

 likely to be repaid by the increase in the crop 



Clover. — Red Clover forms |>erhaps the most 

 imjX)rtant crop cultivated by the farmer ; not only docs 

 the hay furnish a particularly valuable fodder, the 

 nitrogen in which is largely derived from the atmo- 

 sphere and is therefore clear gain to the farm, but the 

 nitrogen left behind in the roots and stubble also 

 enriches the land for future crops. 



Since the time of the Romans it has been known that 

 the wheat is most luxuriant where the clover had grown 

 best in the preceding year ; the Rothamsted experi- 

 ments afford some interesting examples from which the 

 gain of nitrt>gcn can be estimated. One example of 

 the great benefit which the succeeding crops in a 

 rotation derive from a good crop of clover, although 

 it is removed from the land as hay, has already been 

 quoted (Table VI 1 1, p. 33). 



Again, in 1S73 a piece of land in Litllc I loos field 

 was cropped, pari with barley and | art with clover, in 

 1874 barley was taken over the whole, and the amount 



