VALUE OF CLOVER AS A FERTILIZER.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2085, 29 October 1880, Page 3

VALUE OF CLOVER AS A FERTILIZER.

A correspondent, soys the ** Prairie Parmer,” desires information about the fertilizing value of clover. Wo presume he refers to what it leaves in the soil when tho crop has been cut or fed off as pasture. But ploughed under green, there is scarcely anything in the way of vegetation that surpasses it as green manure. The fertilizing effect of a clover sod, according to Dr. Dawes, is equal to. 180 pounds of nitrate of soda to an acre. This estimate, however, is not high enough, if experiments made in Germany by Dr. Weishe and Dr. Werunoy are taken as approximately correct. These show that an average clover sod leaves in the soil in round numbers about 900 pounds of dry substance, 7000 pounds of organic matter, and nearly 2000 pounds of ash, while the phosphoric acid amounts to 75 pounds, the potash to 82 pounds, and the nitrogen to nearly 200 pounds. From these and other experiments, as well as from the practical experience of farmers in this country as well as in Europe, the value of clover as a fertilising crop is seen. Joseph Harris —bo widely known ns an authority in agriculture—calls clover “the grand renovating crop of America,” and for the climate and soils of nearly all parts of this country, he is right. Taking into account tho amount of plant nutrition that clover leaves in the soil, when the crop is ploughed under, either in the shape of green manure or when the soil is turned down full of fibrous roots which not only add greatly to ite fertility in the way of manurial matter, but have brought up salts from the subsoil as well as penetrated in all directions and thereby vastly improved the mechanical condition of the land—we can readily discern why many experienced farmers consider clover indispensable in any well regulated system of husbandry. But tho advantages are still more. It is already in the field without cost of hauling or spreading, and its distribution is even, uniform, and perfect. Nor are its effects ephemeral, for successive crops for several years attest its quickening power. For many years it has been relied upon as the main stay of numbers of intelligent men who have made a speciality of wheat. Employed with plaster and sheep it has been possible for many Michigan farmers to keep up the fertility of their lands, and annually obtain average crops (and even better) of wheat. One of these —a man whose methods long since gave him the reputation of an intelligent and successful farmer —says he considers clover of as much value as a fertiliser as a crop of corn is for fattening stock and making manure. The complex action of clover, plaster, and the droppings of sheep in restoring fertility to worn wheat lands, or giving it to those naturally deficient, consists in supplying soluble lime and sulphuric acid—two constituents consumed in large quantities by clover. These two elements are contained in plaster (sulphate of lime), which is sown with clover, and also upon tho young plants while they are damp with dew or after a shower. The result generally is a luxuriant growth if a good “ catch ” has been secured. The plants send down the long tap roots into tho subsoil, collect such inorganic matter as they find there, and bring it to the surface. The flocks eat tho green plants and scatter the constituents of tho clover over the ground, as well as the ammonia formed in the urine, and when the clover is ploughed up, all that it has received from the subsoil and the air is again rendered more or less available for plant food by decay, and in this way tho surface soil is rendered fertile.

It is said that this is not real manuring; that nothing has been supplied except a little lime and sulphuric acid that the soil or the air did not contain before, and that the effect in time must be to impoverish the subsoil as well as the surface soil. Such may be the case in some kinds of soil, but wo have the testimony of the Hon. George Geddes, of New York—one of the most noted farmers in the United States—that this does not follow as a rule. He has a field which for more threequarters of a century has been manured with nothing except clover grown upon it and ploughed in, upon which has been grown wheat, corn, oats, barley, and grass ; for fifty years plaster has been used upon the clover, and the land allows no diminution of fertility. His experience accords with that of many farmers of less note, going to prove that a judicious use of clover will restore lost fertility to land, and enable it to produce good crops steadily for a long period. Thera are other ameliorating crops, as buckwheat and field peas, which are ploughed under as green manures, and in some instances at the start they may bo preferable to clover, as in cases of sandy land where it may ha •liffioult to get a catch of clover; but the latter is the farmer’s great reliance in restoring and retaining the fertility of his laud,

LYTTELTON HAEBOR BOARD.

The Board met at their new offioes at Lyt-

telton yesterday for the first time, when there were present—The Hon. E. Richardson (chairman), Messrs H. P. Murray Aynsley, H. All wright, P, Cunningham, Craig, Harman, SawteU, and O. W. Turner. Before reading the minutes, leave of absence was granted to Hr. Turnbull and Mr B. Allan. The minutes were then confirmed, and the Chairman made the following statement : Since our last meeting, the following amounts have been paid in to the Board’s credit : Wharfage, £2096 3s 8d ; towage and warps, £159 6s 4d ; released fixed deposit, £12,000; interest, £l5O j total, £14.405 10s. Our engineer’s monthly report will be read. He also refers to the desirability of the Board allowing the dock contractors to take shingle from the foreshore of Quail Island below high water mark, where a deposit exists. The harbor master also reports on the position and area of this shingle deposit. The dredging return for the month of September is on the table. It shows that 164 barge loads have been removed, amounting to 29,520 cubic yards, or 41,000 tons. The towage return for September is also on the table. Mr Turpin furnishes a report on his trial of Native coal as compared with that of the Canterbury railways, and it will be seen that he' has obtained better results than those arrived at by the railways. The whole question of cost resolved into the cost of hauluge, none being charged by the railway on the coal used by them. A number of accounts for payment will be laid before you to-day ; none of them call for special comment. A letter will bo read from the Canterbury Industrial Association in reference to the boilers for the dock machinery. The Board’s resolution of last meeting on the subject was forwarded to Messrs Bell and Miller by the last mail. I received a telegram from the Hon. Minister for Justice, asking the Board to enter into arrangements with the Government, by which sixty or eighty prisoners could be employed on some continuous work as would meet circumstances in question, and without interfering with the current demand for labor, and my reply will bo road, also Mr Bolleston’s further telegram on the subject. A plan has been prepared showing the proposed shed sites between the Screw Pile Jetty and the Gladstone Pier on Harbor Board’s ground. As there is so much delay in obtaining from the, Government any definite arrangement in regard to siding accommodation, I will ask the Board to approve generally of the disposition of the ground and authorise me to arrange with the Government for the necessary lading of rails along the wharves, &c., for working these sheds. Since the Board last met, the office accommodation committee, acting under your authority, called for tenders for furnishing their offices in Lyttelton, and they accepted the lowest tender, being Mr A. J. White’s, of £l5B 10s. I will ask the Board to confirm this action. The question of insuring the offices or otherwise will have to be determined by you. They are temporarily insured in the meantime for £2OOO. It will be necessary that a meeting of the Board should be held on next Tuesday, the 2nd November, for hearing Mr S. Fisher’s objections as to the Board taking his seo ions at Naval Point. No. 2 shed on Peacock’s wharf has been let to the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Company on a monthly tenancy of £5 a month. The shed has been previously let on these terms by the Board’s authority. An application was made some weeks ago to charter the tug Lyttelton to take an Oddfellows’ excursion party to Pigeon Bay, the application was refused, aa several ships were then due, arrangements were made by them for two other steamers. On the 13th instant, the day before the day fixed for the excursion, it was found one of the steamers was bar bound, an application was then again made for the use of the tug Lyttelton, and as no vessels were then due, and in order to save the excursionists disappointment, I gave authority to allow the tug ,to take them, they paying £25 for the trip. The engineer’s report was read.

The recommendation as to shingle was adopted, Mr Harman moving the following resolution, which was seconded by Mr Allwright : —“ That the Board approves of being granted lo Messrs Ware and Jones to take shingle from Quail Island for the works of the graving dock, in accordance with the recommendation of the engineer, such leave not to absolve the contractors from tbe ordinary charge for wharfage.” The Chairman pointed out that the railing of the railway tariff had thrown some 15,000 tons of carriage from the traffic, as this shingle would in the ordinary case have been brought from Kaiapoi or some such place. Accounts amounting to £8603 Os 3d were passed for payment.’ A letter was read from the Industrial Association conveying a resolution regretting tho action of the consulting engineers re the boilers from the pumping engines. With reference to a resolution passed at the previous meeting on this question, Mr Allwright said that he at the time said it was such a “ milk and water ” affair it was not worth passing, and it had since been ridiculed everywhere. Mr Allwright’s remarks were considered irregular, and the matter was not further gone into, no resolution being offered on the subject. The Chairman read the following correspondence : Wellington, October 2Sth, 1880. E. Richardson, Esq , Chairman, Lyttelton Harbor Board—The Government is desirous of obtaining in Lyttelton continuous work for a large gang of prisoners, say sixty to eighty. They are prepared to make arrangements for their employment on reasonable terms for a long period. I shall he obliged if you will inform whether Harbor Board could find such work ns would meet the circumstances in the future, and not such as would interfere with the current demand for labor. If you see your way to giving help in this matter, would yon kindly confer ■with the gaoler.—(Signed) W. Rolleston. [Copy.] Christchurch, 27th October, 1880. Hon. Wm, Rolleston, Wellington. The only work that I am aware of that prisoners could conveniently be put to is formation of road from Officers Point towards heads. This is situated at present outside the limits of Harbor Board’s jurisdiction, their boundary being high water mark. Therefore Board could not find funds unless the material cut down is used for reclamation, in which case I have little doubt Board would pay for the filling at price something less than their last contract for reclamation, I am advised no reclamation can be done without special Act (see Harbours Act, sections 147 and 151). If Government prepared to take the responsibility of the reclamation, and agree to Crown grant suoh reclamation to Board from time to time as reclaimed, I am prepared to recommend the Board to find the necessary funds, calculated on the terms above named. Board meets to-morrow, and therefore I would ask your reply to Lyttelton not later than noon. (Signed) E. Richardson, Chairman.

The reply sent was as follows : Government advises that they have power to make the reclamation, and will be ready to employ present labor on the terms stated by you until the work can be legally handed over to the Board. Government would wish any work to be in accordance with plans suggested by the Board. As tho road or Queen’s chain is, I believe, within the Borough, it will be necessary to communicate with the Borough Council. Will you do so i (Signed) W. Rolleston.

Mr Cunningham did not agree with the proposal to pay for prison labor. The Government were not so liberal with the Board, and as hitherto Government had found it an advantage to let the labor out on tho condition of a warder being provided, he would be sorry to pay Is, or 9d, or 6d per yard to such labor. Mr Harman thought that the labor might be profitably used in carrying out the scheme of defence as proposed by Colonel Scratchley. The Chairman agreed with Mr Cunningham that the matter would be better referred to the harbor improvement committee, and on motion of Mr Craig, seconded by Mr Harman, this course was agreed to, the committee to report. A plan, showing the proposed method of laying off tho sites on the reclamation to tho

eastward of the boat jetty, was submitted. Mr Cunningham objected to tho plan, the sites for the four sheds to his mind being moat inconveniently arranged for the tenante. Mr Turner’s opinion waa that a plan which would, when carried out, yield the largest revenue to tho Board was what was wanted. Ho waa opposed to so disposing of the sites, asjvery large frontages would bo held by one person. The Chairman inclined to the idea that every shed would be independent of the others; that no one shed would be able to shut out the other. If any danger of that existed it oould bo easily removed in committee. The question was then referred to the harbor improvement committee. The action of the office accommodation committee in respect to furnishing the new offices was approved,

Mr All weight somewhat sarcastically referred to the common cane bottom chairs which had been provided for the Board room. Cushioned seats would have been far more becoming at the head office of the Board. Mr Harman said, as one of the members from Christchurch, he would gladly exchange the oushioned-seated chair used in the Board room in town for the comfortable chair he then occupied. One or two other members signified their acquiescence in Mr Harman’s remarks. In accordance with the Public Works Act it was resolved to hold a meeting of the Board in Christchurch on Tuesday, November 2nd, to hear the objections Mr Stephen Fisher may have to urge against the action of the Board in taking compulsorily his two sections near Naval Point.

The Chairman said the new offioes they were then in cost just £3OOO, exclusive of furniture. It was resolved that an insurance be effected for that sum. The recommendation of Mr Strouts re the guttering on the time ball tower, was agreed to, on motion of Mr Allwright, seconded by Mr Harman.

The Board adjourned, to meet at 2 p.m. on December 2nd, in Christchurch.