The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920, 1910-04-30
The Leeumes to Grow.

NE
portant one Two distinct classes of legumes
used for quite different purposes are to be con-
| sidered The winter early spring growing
| legumes TO serve as a winter cover crop. TO i'm
prove the soil by gathering nitrogen from the air
and to furnish early hay or pasture crop All
an entirely different place in our agriculture from
the summer-growing legumes used as means
of soil improvement and for forage when sowed
after small grain. or in corn. Another class Of
summer growing legumes like alfalfa. red clover
velvet beans etc. occupy the land during the en-.
| tire summer.
| All OF the so-called winter-growng iegumes
which in this section really early spring grow
ing plants. have decided limitations. They mus,
usually be sowed in the fall and throughout the
Cotton Belt the falls generally dry. Tho re-
suit is. that II is often difficult TO get n stand Of
crimson clover and bur clover. Vetch Ia more
likely TO come to stand but the seed are high
in price. and It occupies the ground until rather
late tn the spring All these arc in the way of
planting cotton but are out of the way frciently
early for late planting of corn.
Where there is reasonable certainty of getting
q stand. and the crop has been grown success
fully showing that the soil IL inooulated and the
other conditions for it's growth right. wc rather
prefer crimson clover the beat winter cover
crop and soil-lmprover among tho winter logumca
In certain sections. however. where crimson clover
IL not satisfactory. either Hairy vcsch of the Ore
gon. or smooth vetch. may hli it's place. Bur
clover VIC would connnc 10 pastures or in short
rotation with corn other crop that may
be planted sufficiently lato allow tho bur clover
10 ripen and rc-accd the land
Too much must not DO expected of any of thca~
crops in the matter of winter growth. or the fur
nishnE of winter grazing. except. perhaps In tho
extreme South They make a very rapid growth
Tho latter part of February. aud during March
and April. and therein iioa their chief value
For summer. the old reliable cowpoa must over
take first place. because OF tia almost universal
adap'abiy 10 all soils and conditions For sow-
Ing after small grains and in corn II will probably
continue TO stand arNt: but the aoy bean has some
advantages which cntitled II 10 serious consider.
atom as substitute for tho cowpoa under aimost
MI conditions There ia lees trouble In getting a
stand OF eowpeaa. and they wii grow on rather
poorer land: but the soy bcaa makes NOR. seed
and from IT'S erect position orera lsna din1eui,y
In harvesting. As a hay crop. owing To the hard
nature OF The soy bean stems the eowpoa probably
has the advantage: but a crop to b. harvested
os grazing animals on IT. the SOY bean IL superior
mere IL probably not much dir.r.nc. In their
ltoll-improving quaitioa
In many sections ienpedexa or raoan cioy.r
must be given prominent consideration an a le-
knmc crop TO occupy the land after oats It's
hp'elai value IN In It's early spring seeding thereby
avoiding the necessity for breaking tho land after
'he oats are cut. as must be done for cowpeaa or
SOY beans. II makes nm excellent hay and whore
| ""'NSui'. tue tlrii IN fatrly hsaYy.
In some sections the yield of hay might not b. sat
isfactory
On the black lands OF the South. that are highly
supplied with lime and otherwise suitable alfalfa
| n the King OF legumes but We do not regard II
az adapted TO large areas the South M a crop TO
be generally grown.
On these same lime soils and also ON many
| OF the clay soils. red clover is also a desirable
'esnme but like alfalfa. IL is not generally adapt
| ed TO the soils OF the South
On soils highly supplied with lime, swee, clover.
VI heHlo'us' IL OF great value as pasture plant,