The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-11-28
UREEN MANURING-NO. I;
telye H an.

tciScJ IL an.
While 1t will not mature in our short
season, the velvet bean has no eouoI 81
d soma lmprover. Think OF a plant grow
taS a sihe 10 feet long, bearing leaves
every lear stalk aud the leaf stalks SET
thlch on the v4ne. What a mass of yepe-
Laoie matter this would make to pioW
40" Tor soil Improvement 1t Is fabulous
the amount Of green vegetation tn : nln,,r
VIII produce to the acre. The usual OBJ
3ee,ion 70 the use OF this plant is that it
nann SO much vine that Il disc harrow
sdnHot De forced through it if grown
where the land is in a far state of cult
vation.
The velvet bean is not a nat We of the
dfa. 1t requires a long season in which
70 rlpen seed, but can be grown success.
fuliy for soil Improvement purposes IN
most Of the PIEDMONT and in ali Of the
coastal plains section. 1t should be plant
cd as soon as all danger OF frost has
passed as 1T is not at all hardy. Some
farmers find 1t good practice to let the
frost get the crop before pillow - it I'M
DER N order TO reduce the bulk of vege-
table matter TO be turned under. 1t is
also a good practice, in some cases. to
ter and turn them under in the spring
prior to planting.
The velvet bean runs high in nitrogen
and potash. The following table shows a
ton OF green velvet bean vines to contain
eleven pounds Of nitrogen. 2-S pounds Of
phosphate. and ia pounds Of potash. The
number Of tons that can be grown on an
acre IS very great, but a far average is
about twenty.
Table-Composition OF Green Velvet Beans
Compared With the Composition Of Fresh
Horse and Cow Manure.
Nitro PhoS-
gen phate. Potash.
Velvet Beans. :. III. rs ia
Fresh Cow Manure ;. 76 1.6 ID
Fresh Horse Manure 81 1.9 7.3
Now let US see how much nlant food
this growth would add to our ten acre
field. Twenty tons would add to one acre
23O pounds OF nitrogen; Sc pounds Of
have only to multiply these figures by ten
to get the plant food added to the ten
acre field. Should the farmer be able
(which is hardly probable) TO cut this
disc and pillow them under he would add
to the soil Of his ten-acre field. go mounds
Of nitrogen, and render available. $50
pounds Of phosphate, and $3.50 pounds OF
potash.
This, you will note. IS as much nitro
gen as You can get from about 900 tons
commercial fert lizer. The phosnhate
found in this amount Of green manure is
equal to that found in $50 tons Of fresh
cow manure or IN ah tons Of an So
rendered available IS equal to that found
in 312 tons of fresh COW manure or in 81
tons of S-2-2.
The amount of nitrogen thus snatched
short space of one year IS equal to that
removed by 30 bushels OF corn. 300 bush
els Of oats. 40 bushels of wheat. Or six
800 pound bales Of cotton per acre. Or.
figuring on a ten-arre basis. there is rs
much plant food rendered available on this
ten-acre tract as wonld be removed from
1t by 1900 bushels of corn. 1000 bushels
or oats. 1.To bushels of wheat or sixty
500 pound bales Of cotton. Not only SO
bet the after effect of this enormous
amount Of yegetab1e matter plowed into
and mixed with the soil will show for
years to come.
J. T.. BURGESS,
n. C.. Department Of Agriculture.