The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1899-03-23
The Great Value of Leguminous Plants.


united to oxygen as nitrates or to hy-
drogen as ammonia. Nitrogen is hard
to combine thus. Artificial means are
unsuccessful or too expensive. 1t has
been recently discovered that Natures
means of combining nitrogen is the
babteria or microbes in nodules on
roots of leguminous plants - clover,
beans, peas, alfalfa; willow, vetches,
wild pea vines, etc. These microbes
transfer the free nitrogen of the air
through the nodules to the roots.
No other plants have them aud
these have them only when they want
nitrogen. Each variety OF legume has
its own nitrogen catching microbe.
They occur in most fertile soils and
multiply when their own plant is pres
ent. The special microbe must be in
troduced by distributing soil in which
this plant has grown successfully. L.
g., if clover does not grow well on a
suitable soil take the fine earth to 3
inches from the service of field where
it has grown we'll, distribute and work
into the soil. Freezing, drought, and
kainite kill these microbes. Cultivat-
ing one leguminous plant upon the
soil seems to run out the microbes of
the others. e. g., when cow-peas have
been long cultivated in field it may
be necessary to introduce the clover
microbe. "Clover-sick" probably re-
suits from the increase of humic acids
which kill the clover microbes. Time
corrects.
In nature the balance of nitrogen in
the soil is kept up by wild leguminous
plants. like locusts, willows, vetches,
beggar-lice, etc. In farm practice,
when we grow non-leguminous plants,
we must keep up the balance of nitro
gen by using legumes in our rotation.
The best legumes are: cow-peas, clo-
yer, alfalfa, soja beans, beans and peas,
and vetches.
Cow-peas are best sown in the spring,
though if the season is favorable may
by sown as late as July 1. Two
bushels per acre plowed or narrowed in;
If land Is In thin use acid phosphate
two hundred pounds, muriate of pot.
ash twenty-five to fifty pounds. The
vines in October contain one-and-ahalt
to two-and-ahalf per cent. nitrogen; il
left on the ground till January, only
seventy-five per cent. One acre will
produce two thousand to four thousand
pounds of organic matter. If we leave
them to rot on the soil. we lose one
half to two-thirds of the nitrogen; i
we plow under we still lose great deal
If not fed, the best plan is to plow un
der in early fall and plant grain crop
wheat or oats, which will. absorb tina
part which would be lost.
2. AS feed for stock:
Nitrogen in legumes is in the form
of proteids, which are most valuable
elements of stock feeds. All othe
hays and grains, like corn, are defcien
in them, and need to be supplemente,
with legume hay or peas, beans, cot
ton seed meal, or sofa beans. Glover
pea vine and alfalfa are the richest G
all hays for feeding stock, especial,
milch COWS, growing stock and work
ing animals because they contain O
an average about twice as much pre-
tein as hay from grasses, and are wort
from one-quarter to one-fifth more fo
feed than common hay. Supposin
timothy to yield two tons of hay to th
acre, and COW peas three tons, we &c
the following proportions for one acre
FOOD MATERIALS.
Timothy-Protein, 118 /; carbohy
drates, 1900 fats, so.
Cow-peas- Protein, 500; carbohy
drates, 1900 fats, 81.
FARTILIzER METERIALs.
Timothy-Nitrogen, 25-12c; pho
. acid, 1860. (; potash, 1850 wort
$40.
Cow-peas-Nitrogen, So phos. aci(
! 1850 potash, 4O-5c. worth $9.71.
We see, thus. that legumes furnis
from three to four times as much pr,
, tein and more carbohydrates and fa
> than common hay. They contain thrt
times as much nitrogen and twice |
, much potash. This nitrogen is derive
, from the air and removing it does n,
! deplete the soil. The best plan is,
thus feed leguminous plants and the
. peas, and return the manure, whic
! will still contain three quarters of 8
a the fertilizing elements, to the sol
= AS nitrogen of the air is the cheape
= source of nitrogen for plants, so it
! the cheapest source of protein for an
mails, Soiling is a good plan for dair
: men. Save the manure.
= Grow more legumes. They furniI
. the cheapest manure for soil and chea
v est food for stock, because they obta
from air the nitrogen necessary f
= plants and animals, which costs at lea
= 10 to 15 cents pound.
IS The Appetite Of Goat
), Is envied by all poor dyspepti
al whose stomach and liver are out of {
I. der. All such should know that I