6 ' BULLETIN 625, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The groups of farms which devoted less than 20 per cent of their 

 field-crop area to clover made an average of $171 after deducting 

 6 per cent interest on capital invested, and the group which devoted 

 more than 20 per cent of their field-crop area to clover made an aver- 

 age of $560 each. The increase in profits was due (1) to the increase 

 in yields and (2) to the profitableness of clover-seed production in 

 comparison with other farm crops for the year in which these records 

 were taken (1912). It will also be seen from the interest made on 

 investment that those farms devoting more than 20 per cent of their 

 field crop area to clover used the capital invested in land and equip- 

 ment 54.2 per cent more efficiently than the farms growing no clover. 

 The beneficial effect of clover in the rotation is quite generally 

 recognized among the farmers of the moister sections of eastern 

 Washington, eastern Oregon, and northern Idaho. The importance 

 of this crop, however, as a means of maintainisg a profitable system 

 of farming and of improving the soil fertility is very much under- 

 estimated. The roots and stubble of a good clover crop are said to 

 contain fertilizing elements equivalent per acre to from 3 to 5 tons of 

 barnyard manure. Its value to the soil in supplying organic matter 

 and thus improving the physical condition can not be estimated. A 

 study of Tables III, IV, and V should convince the most skeptical 

 farmers that clover is one of the biggest factors in building up a 

 profitable farm business. The maintenance of soil fertility in the 

 section above described is as much dependent on legumes, especially 

 clover, as are the silt loam soil farms in the Willamette Valley, Oreg. 

 A recent study by the author of a few farms in different parts of this 

 region on which clover is being used in the rotation showed that they 

 were returning from 15 to 25 per cent larger yields than farms not 

 growing this crop. 



SEEDING CLOVER WITH A NURSE CROP. 



The small acreage devoted to clover in the moister section of 

 eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and northern Idaho is due in 

 large measure to the prevailing idea that in order to secure a stand 

 this crop must be seeded alone. The labor of preparing the soil and 

 of seeding the crop by this method is practically the same as for small 

 grain. The use of the land is also lost for one year except for the 

 small amount of pasture that can sometimes be obtained. A few 

 farmers in different localities, however, have broken away from 

 this practice and are seeding clover with a grain crop. This method 

 of seeding requires but little more labor than is necessary for seeding 

 grain alone, and the nurse crop returns a profit while the clover is 

 becoming established. The methods used by a number of farmers 

 and their success in seeding clover with a nurse crop was studied 

 during the past four years with the view of determining the feasi- 

 bility of this method of seeding in this region. 



