Newark post., 1910-09-07
Some Legume Questions

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Far too little value has been con-
cedcd to sweet clover for forage pur-
poses, because stock often do not
relish il at first. No better forage
crop Tor general purposes has yet
been found than alfalfa, and no forage
plants richer in protein than vetch or
soy beans. Yet my cattle grazed
everything on the ground closely
around patch of alfalfa then just
beginning to bloom without touch
ing it also around stray and thrifty
growing vetch plants. They also re-
fused SOY bean forage when 1t was
first placed before them. Yet when
the ybecame better acquainted with
alfalfa. they took to it readily, and
also learned to eat and enjoy vetch
and soy beans, both freshly cut or
witted. or as hay. The old sweet
clover plant, after it has gone well
along toward production, is, OF
course, unfit for cattle food. A lot
of tough woody stalks is about all
the animals would get. But young
sweet clover looks so near like alfalfa
that it would be difficult to distin-
guish them. The bloom, however,
ltIS di OiNN WlItl II 10 ''oNh p'ai''S
are nearly alike in nutritive value. If
cut at the proper time there is no
doubt that animals will eat and en-
ioy sweet clover as much or more
than many other forage plants.
VETCH AS A FERTILITY
MAKER.
What is the best orchard cover
Crop?" was one OF the questions ask
ed at recent New York State horti-
cultural meeting. Without hesitation
Prof. John Craig, horsiculturist at
Cornell University, replied: Winter
yetch."
Winter or hairy vetch, if given
half d chance, will reseed itself from
year to year. This spring | plowed
up Il patch that was i'll potatoes last
year, and had been in rye and vetch a
few years ago. This land was quite
green in spots from the vetch plants
that had started from seed still in
the ground last summer or fall after
the period of cultivating the potatoes.
The growth of vetches has been so
immense, in some patches, that ne1-
ther man nor beast could have waded
through without being tripped up or
entangled in the vines. And you
should have seen the masses OF nitro
gen-bearing nOduleS on the roots
Here we have hundred pounds OF
nitrogen, and perhaps more. per acre
snatched from the atmosphere. nitro
gen worth at least seventeen to elgh-
teen cents a pound, therefore not less
than seventeen to eighteen dollars
worth on the acre. The stations may
tell US a still bigger story. 1t IS big
emo olgh considering that the yetct
furnishes in nitrogen alone the equi
valent Of six hundred or more pounds
Of nitrate of soda and a wonderful
lot of humus. All this means life anf
energy to the soil
FACT AND FICTION.
Yesterday neighbor asked me TO
my opinion about ntro-cutureS. IT.
had tried to grow cow-peas aRt
made failure of il, Now he think
of introducing the cow-pea bacteri
into his soil. IN this nitro-cultur
business you will find a grain OF trut,
and many pounds of action and exag
geIation, and even take There ar
some things, abOul nitrogen-bearin
bdIlSlld libl SNb ttliN A'iiHN' 2'''N
There seems to be considerable mys
terry as yet about their first generatio
and transformation VIII one kin
Of bacteria-for instance, that on con-
mon clover-hnally adapt itself t
work on sweet clover or alfalfa etc
or has each plant its own kind tba
must be introduced into the soil be
fore that plant will develop root noe
ules? Who knows?
! have grown clo' ers OF all sort
alfalfa, vetch, soy beans and COW
peas, besides, Of course, iield-pea
garden-pcas. sweet peas. In Unite
way | have experimental with nitro
cultures But our soils here seem
be so well provided with bacteria {
al l;lnds, that whenever any OF thes
crops were planted on good soil the
gave good yields, and in all cases til
roots were we'll supplied with the cha1
acteristic nodules.
Undoubtedly there are soils laCkin
the bacteria working on some or a
of these crops, and for them the "a
tifcial introduction OF the particuIs
bacteria OF the crop to be planted ma
be desirable For me to make ar
effort whatsoever i'll that directio
would be like carrying Goals to New
castle | believe there are bacter'
enough in the soil OF this farm to i,
feet every acre OF land in the Sta
with the bacteria working on Glove
alfalfa, vetch, peas, soy beans, Gov
peas and probably lot of other i
gumes. Before you spend money al
effort with nitro cultures, make SUI
that your soil has not already all tn
and more than it needs.
-. nf 4 T. W. NlJ IL Il