The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-04-11


gets hot. but IL blooms ana seeds In
cold weather. and in a sown crop Ike
alfalfa II IL q puzzle The only thing
that can be done is TO rake IL out be
fore II blooms and seeds, and II is al
ready too late for that, / expect for
II has probably bloomed and seeded
by this time ! hardly think that 1t
VIII Kill the alfalfa. You have prob
ably been putting stable manure on
the alfalfa, and Introduced il In that
way. for /, would hardly be mixed in
| alfalfa seed
The Legumca.
| am frequently asked By farmers.
who send inc specimens OF weeds they
/ have found 20 tell them If they arc
! lerumcs. Thcr" seems to be great
! deal OF MISUNDERSTANDING as 10 what
| constitutes Il l"gumc plant The term
/ 'l"guiu" simply means Il pod, and the
botanical order lcguininosac Includes
/ tho plants which make their seeds In
! pods. y true pod is Il fruit that opens
! in two halves with the seed attached
! 10 a placcnta that lines the halves.
/ There are pod-likc fruits in other than
! tho legumc family, but no true pods
! The cabbage family, for instance. has
! pod-likc fruits; but, on examination.
| IL viii be found that the seed arc at
| tached 10 Il central placeuta, making
! what botan!sts call :. slliauc. aud not
| n pod But some say Glover Is q le-
/
on clover TO make POD does not
! require that It be as large as pea
| pod, and the fruits OF the clover are
| az true PODS as any. but OF small size.
! This whole order Of plants. includ-
! ting the herbs or the family and shrubs
and trees like the locust, all have the
/ power. through the symbolic bacteria
| that live on their roots, TO get the free
| nitrogen gas from the air and com
! bine II so that the plants can use it:
and /, Is this capacity which makes
the plants valuable TO the farmer
through saving him the need OF buy
ing tho costly nitrogen In fertilizer
Then, too, the fact that they DO &C
qulre nitrogen. makes the hay made
from legumcs Ike peas, SOY beans and
clover more valuable than grass hay
because II contains higher pcrcen-
tage OF protein and viii balance the
ration with corn, corn-fodder ana
other highly carbonaceous foods.
Hay made from pcasc, beans, pea
nut. and clover has much higher
feeding value than timothy hay. As
Mr.. Ncnry Wallace, Editor Of Wal
laccs Farmer. In Iowa, told m In
quirer that he had better pay SIG a
ton for ccwpea hay rather than sl3
a ton for timothy hay a. that was
about what lie figured the difference In
the feeding value Of the two hays. The
fact that soil gains in nitrogen from
the growing Of peas ana other leGum"
crops has led TO some misconception OF
what these crops VIII do. The mer.
growing OF peas on land and taking
he crop of will never do much for
tho Improvement Of the soil. for tho
roots ana stubble contain but about
10 per cent of the whole AMOUNT OF
notroEen In til" plant. or no more rob
ably 'nan the crop took from tho soil
To make the crop valuable 10 the
SOIL ii must be uscG either as manure
dircC; or b. feeding 30 stock and re-
turning the manure to the land that
grew the nay. Now, whether It is
best 10 turn the crop under directly
as manure. viii depend on the fert!l-
ity OF the soil. In the start IN the
Improvement OF n worn piece OF land.
In which humus making material is
badly needed. IL may be wise 10 use the
crop as manure direct. but when the
soil is in fairly good condition, II is
better farm economy to use the crop
for hay, and return the manure, for bv
carefully saving tho droppings one can
recover more than so per cent OF tho
rnanurlal value OF the crop and can
certainly make proht on the feeding.
There Is one lcSume crop which |
] have uniformly advised 10 be used a.
manure for the corn or cotton crop
rms is the annual crimson clover. II
! comes at q season when hay-making o,
, any sort Is difficult. ana this clover Is
the hardest crop Of any 10 cure into
really line hay. and I; makes such nnc
crops turned under III bloom .hnt (,
, seems that this Is the best use tha,
can hc made OF II. 4 growth OF Grim
son clover to be turned under for
> corn furnishes the best place on tn,
, farm for the home accumulation OF
, manure and the manure. reinforced
= With acid phosphate. viii not onl,
hrlp the clover ana make greater
amount TO turn under. but Il ana tho
! phosphate Will all be recovered IN bot.
! ter shape for tic corn, and the cult.
Walton OF the corn will make the bes
9 posslhie iailow for the wheat or oat.
that should follow the corn Their,
h IS no class OF plants grown on tn,
: larin OF greater value TO the goot
FARMER than the legumes
Forms OF Potash.
= Would YOU advise sulphate Of pot
. ash ~ preference 10 murlato OF pot
ash for sweet and Irish potatoeso
So Why? ] can buy the muriate To-
$500 less ton than the sulphate
:, nave fertile branch bottom which
u wish to plant in late potatoes Urish)
> II Is an alluvial soil. rather sandy. an,
IS now in vetch and oats. What fer
p tiii@cr would you advise for this?
There 10 an opinion among many tina
the Sulph:ic OF potash makes n NOR
{ mealy and Starchy irish potato thai
o the muriate But have never dis
Il covered any great difference and OF
' the irish potato crop | would use tn
! fnuriate because II is cheaper. But ol
sweet potatoes. and on any crop |!
" which sugar ia a desirable ingredient
u the sulphate Is far better than tn
II muriate. On the branch bottom
o would not use any organic nitrogen Of
70 the potato crop. but only some nitrat
OF soda to give them good start 70
Following legume crop: there vii
Il be nitrogen enough for potatoes. !
y mixture OF 500 pounds of acid phos
o plate fifty pounds OF nitrate OF sod
10 and fifty pounds OF muriate OF potas
d an acre In the burrows will mako lat
a lnl Glr. .1aL ..l L..