Vol. LXIV. No. 2880. 
NEW YORK, APRIL 8, 1905. 
$1 PER YEAR. 
“CHEMICALS AND CLOVER " UP-TO-DATE. 
Development of a Fertilizer Farm, 
Part III. 
Of course where wheat seeding follows potato har¬ 
vest it is necessary to grow an early variety of potatoes, 
and dig and ship them as soon as they are fit. I have 
questioned whether it would not pay Mr. Lewis better 
to cut out the wheat crop, take more time to fit the 
land, and sow grass seed alone as Mr. Clark, of Con¬ 
necticut, does, and cut it three times instead of twice. 
Mr. Lewis prefers to sow wheat, both for the sake of 
the grain and the straw. The figures given last week 
show that the average income from the wheat crop for 
the past five years was $358.84. Through one round 
of the rotation, that is, a wheat crop on each of the five 
fields, the total value was $1,779.23, or an average for 
each of the 70 acres of 
$25.40. During the same 
period the total value of 
the hay crop sold was 
$3,343.65, or an average of 
$23.88 per acre, which 
means nearly two tons at 
the prices obtained. 
The wheat is drilled in 
the usual manner after fit¬ 
ting the potato ground. 
Timothy is seeded with the 
wheat, and in the Spring 
clover is broadcast on the 
young wheat. Mr. Lewis 
has had some curious ex¬ 
perience with clover. Some 
years ago he was practi¬ 
cally sure to obtain a good 
“catch” of clover, and it 
grew magnificently. Then, 
for some reason, the clo¬ 
ver failed, or grew but 
feebly. As some Red sor¬ 
rel appeared, Mr. Lewis 
concluded that the land 
was sour, and he began 
the use of lime, and also 
added a pint of Alsike 
clover seed to the amount 
of Red clover seed used 
on an acre. This addi¬ 
tional Alsike seed has 
proved very useful. The 
Alsike is more certain to 
“catch,” and at haying 
time the field is always 
well covered with Alsike 
blossoms. This practice may be recommended to all 
farmers on heavy land. The use of lime helped for 
a time, but in spite of it, the Red clover does not grow 
as it should. The productive power of the soil never 
was greater, yet the clover is “sick.” Before the ques¬ 
tion of bacteria was studied as it has been during the 
past 10 years, this clover “sickness” was ascribed to 
various causes. Now we understand that at least one 
form of “clover sickness” is due to the weakness or 
death of the bacteria which work on the roots of clover. 
Cases are noted where these bacteria become so 
feeble that they are of little help to the plant. This is 
often found in rich soil, for where the clover plant is 
abundantly supplied with nitrogen in the soil the bac¬ 
teria appear to grow weaker, and finally become of little 
service to the clover crop. In such a case, when the 
soil or the seed is inoculated with more vigorous bac¬ 
teria, the clover is often greatly helped. These two 
things are of very great interest to a farmer. A 
clover crop in rich soil is not unlike a boy brought 
up amid easy conditions, so that he is under no obliga¬ 
tions to work or exert himself. He becomes lazy and 
inert, spending his father’s property instead of adding 
to it. In like manner, clover in rich soil uses mostly 
the nitrogen within reach of its roots and takes less 
and less of the nitrogen from the air. As this free 
nitrogen is accumulated by the bacteria, through sheer 
lack of work or exercise they become feeble and fail. 
By inoculating the soil with stronger bacteria we may 
be said to improve the “breed,” making it more effec¬ 
tive, as when we breed Jersey or Guernsey blood into 
our dairy cows. Mr. Lewis hopes to try the experi¬ 
ment of inoculating the clover seed used on two or 
three acres. He has been led to do this by his experi¬ 
ence with Alfalfa. , 
But what can Alfalfa have to do on a farm with a 
definite rotation like this? 
As we shall learn when we talk about the corn 
crop, Mr. Lewis has a small dairy—about the limit 
of one good milker. The cornstalks in silo and dry 
shredded provide roughage for the cows. Mr. Lewis 
says that if he can secure a fair acreage of Alfalfa he 
will be nearly independent of the feed men, for Al¬ 
falfa hay and silage or stalks will make a balanced ration. 
It will hardly be necessary to go off the farm for a full 
milk ration, and there will be more clover hay to sell! 
No wonder Mr. Lewis has tried in various ways to 
start Alfalfa. We will let him give his experience in 
his own words: 
“Having established a small dairy in our system of 
farming about four years since, we sowed one-half our 
garden plot to Alfalfa. This plot was in a high state 
of cultivation. The Alfalfa came up promptly and 
grew well, as we were enabled to mow three times, 
which we did as soon as it had reached the blossom 
stage. The second year it had partly disappeared; still 
we were able to mow what was left three times as 
before. The third year there was still less of the Al¬ 
falfa standing, yet we mowed what was left, as before. 
Meantime, we were waiting for rotation to reach the 
field we wanted to sow to Alfalfa after a corn crop. 
Our first sowing in the field was May 1 two years since; 
it came up nicely until the weeds and other grasses 
began to take possession. We mowed off tops of weeds 
three times, and at every mowing there appeared to be 
less Alfalfa. In Spring we noted carefully the thin 
condition, and concluded it was a failure. We plowed 
it up, and sowed it to oats, growing a fine crop. Mean¬ 
time I was seeking information. I began to study the 
application of the cultures to inoculate the soil with the 
necessary bacteria. I learned through Prof. Voorhees, 
of the N. J. Experiment Station, that he had sown the 
year previous on three different occasions, and that 
what he sowed about August 10 gave him the best 
results. I also arranged to sow last year in August, 
and did sow August 12. This sowing came up 
promptly, and grew right off, vigorous and a dark, 
healthy color, and reached a height of from 10 to 
12 inches before the frost 
cut it down. We found 
upon digging up some 
plants nodules on the 
roots in abundance, en¬ 
couraging us to feel as¬ 
sured of a successful stand 
the coming season. 
“What brought about 
this difference in the two 
years’ sowing? I had 
reached the conclusion this 
plot must be inoculated. 
I entered into a corre¬ 
spondence with Prof. 
Voorhees, and lie kindly 
tendered me any help he 
could. He suggested we 
lig up Alfalfa roots in the 
garden plot. We did so; 
while this garden plot had 
been sown three years 
there was no evidence of 
any nodules, and the Pro¬ 
fessor kindly favored me 
with inoculated soil from 
the College Farm. Wher¬ 
ever we sowed this inocu¬ 
lated soil the plant has 
wonderfully developed. 
Where spots were missed 
in applying the inoculated 
soil the Alfalfa is a fail¬ 
ure. At this writing the 
Alfalfa is looking all 
right; the plot we have 
sown to Alfalfa is one 
acre. We shall grow one 
acre of potatoes adjoining and expect to sow that plot 
during August. These two acres are near my barns, 
handy for soiling our cows if necessary, which we have 
purposed to do. I shall lime this acre, and treat it with 
sulphate of potash and dissolved fine bone, after an 
application of 1,200 pounds potato manure for potatoes.” 
Here you will see the Alfalfa is to follow potatoes, 
since that crop can be cleared from the land early, leaves 
the soil rich from its heavy fertilizing, and also fine and 
mellow from the thorough working the potatoes re¬ 
ceived. In spite of all that has been said there are 
probably still many farmers who do not understand 
what is meant by “nodules.” They are the little knots 
or “warts” often seen growing on the roots of clover. 
Alfalfa, peas, beans, and other plants which bear their 
seed in large or small pods. These “nodules” 
are really the houses or rooms in which millions of tiny 
bacteria live and work. It is supposed that the bac¬ 
teria enter the plant through the tiny root hairs. The 
nodules probably result from the growth which the root 
makes as the result of the irritation of the bacteria. 
Analyses of these nodules alone show that they often 
