THE FARM.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume II, Issue 178, 3 December 1880, Page 4

THE FARM.

VALUE OF CLOVER as a FERTILISER

A corkkspondknt, says the Pruirii• Funner, desires information about the fertilising value of clover. V’e presume he refers to what lie leaves in the soil when the 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 fertilising effect of a clover sod, according to Dr. Lawes, is equal to ISO pounds of nitrate of soda to the acre. This estimate, however, is not high enough, if experiments made in Oermany by Dr. Wcishe and Dr. Weruncy are taken as approximately correct. These show that an average clover sod leaves in the soil in round numbers about 000 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—so widely known as an authority in agriculture—calls clover “the grand renovating crop of America." and for the climate and soils of nearly all parts of the country, ho is right, 'faking into account the 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 its fertility in the way of manorial 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. Rut the 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. Eor many years it has been relied upon as the mainstay of numbers of intclli- I gent men who have made a speciality of | wheat. Employed with plaster and slice]), | it has been possible for many Michigan j farmers to keep up the fertility of their I 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 a 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,

;ind the drop]lings of slice]) 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 largely in plaster (sulphate of lime), which is sown with clover, and also upon the 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 j down the long tap roots into the subsoil, j collect such inorganic matter as they find there, and bring it to the surface. The j fioclcs cat the green plants and scatter the i constituents of the clover over the ground, j as well as the ammonia formed in the urine, j and when the clover is ploughed up, all ; that it has received from the subsoil and j the air is again rendered more or less available for plant food by decay, and in this | way the surface soil is rendered fertile. It is said that this is not real manuring ; i that nothing has been supplied except a j little lime and sulphuric acid that the soil j or the air did not contain before, and that ■ the etl'ect in time must he to impoverish j the subsoil as well as the surface soil, I

.Such may be the case in some kinds of soil, but we 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 than three-quarters 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 ; barley, and grass ; has been used upon the clover, and the land shows 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 crops steadily for a long period. There are other ameliorating crops, as buckwheat and field peas, which arc ploughed under as green manures, and in some instances at the start they may be preferable to clover, as in cases of sandy land where it maybe difficult to get a catch ofclovci ; but the latter is the farmer's great reliance m restoring and retaining the fertility of his land.

ODDS AND ENDS. A good and wholesome harvest drink is prepared by mixing oatmeal in water, in the proportion of three or four ounces of the meal to a gallon of water. French farmers arc less inclined to grow wheat, and devote more attention to the production of mutton and milk. The latter is becoming an industry. Farmers cooperate to form factories for the production of cheese and butter.

Voting and growing cattle are the best for exercise, and should have the opportunity daily of stretching their limbs in the open air. But fattening cattle need very little exercise, and may be profitably kept, in stall during the 3 or 4 months of the closing period of fattening. .Cabbage, containing as it does a large per cent of phosphoric acid, makes one of the most valuable kinds of food for young pigs, calves and chickens. All young animals require a bountiful supply of pliosphatie food to make bone. Clover is next iu value to cabbage.

The New York World says:—“Potato water, or water in which potatoes have been boiled, is now recommended in various quarters as not only an ell'ective but an immediate remedy for lice on cows or other cattle, also for ticks. The affected parts are bathed with the potato water. One application is generally sufficient. This remedy (if remedy it proves) has the merit of being exceedingly simple, and is employed without injury to the cattle.” The J}(iecl:;‘r-u))d.-Cond!torZ(‘i/inifj has put to a practical test a system of preservingeggs which has lately been recommended, and finds it to answer exceedingly well. The eggs were placed for an hour in a solution of .”>() grammes of salicylic acid and a little spirits of wine, diluted with 1 litre of water, and afterwards packed away in bran in the cellar. About months afterwards they were found in perfect condition, and as well flavored as if fresh laid. Autumnlaid eggs, if thus treated, should keep good for a much longer time, as they would have all the advantage of colder weather in their favor.

The Chapman correspondent of the Antral Aderr/ixcr, after stating that the bulk of the crops has been got in under very favourable circumstances, and coming up nice and strong, observes: —“The birds still pull up tlie young shoots, dressed with gas tar, a process which has been adopted by nearly all the farmers this season with the hope of preventing these pests meddling with the sown grain. A rather novel and inexpensive plan, suggested by Mr Poison, has been tried here to get rid of the plague, and so far has proved a success. A kite is kept flying over the field, and birds of all kinds skedaddle in every direction.

Some interesting details are given in j the American papers with respect to the | famous Dalrymple Farm, 25 miles west |of Fargo, Dakota, which is the largest j cultivated farm on the Western Continent. Tt contains HG,OOO acres of arab la land, 24,000 of which are now under wheat, and 12,000 under oats : 12.) reaping machines wore set to work last month to cut the wheat. Mr Dalrymple manages his farm onstiict business principles, his harvest work being performed on a 40-day contact with each workman at 1 dol. 75c. per day, he boarding them. The harvesters all board at large dininghalls prepared expressly for the Dalrymple family. Each reaper is operated by three horses or mules. There are .'!7.’> of them on these reapers. When shocked and sufficiently dried, both wheat and oafs arc threshed from the stubble and without ft icking The estimated yeild by harvesters and proprietors is about 18 bushels of wheat per acre, and 1)0 of oats. 'l'lie wheat product of this one farm amounts to 432,000 bushels—about 000 car-loads, or 4S train-loads of 20 cars. This immense crop will go to the sea-board by way of the lakes, through Canada and the Erie Canal, and is expected to net 00 cents per bushel at the farm.