The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1914-11-03
COVER CROPS.
Ihe Importance of Legumious Plants
on Every Farm.

If you will allow me / will at
tempt to say few words on cover
crops. legumious plant is one that
adds nitrogen to the soil. The most
common legumious plants are alfal-
"a cowpeas, crimson and burr clover.
soy beans and peanuts. Any or ali
vi Inese may be grown with much
pronc IN our home county. The
prohts derived from the plantinp of
these crops may be studied from
three standpoints: the addition of
nitrogen to the soil. their value as
an excellent food for live stock and
Ihelr serving as Il cover or catch
crop that Is. crop that cen he
SroWn between the harvesting and
planting times of cotton. corn and
other grains
Durlng recent years the amount or
money spent for fertilizers i'm south
.arolina has increased immensely
lhe last years bill being about so
""o,ooO. a large portion of This
".nouht was Tor nitrogen content of
lne lerulilIer There are two rea-
sons for this. First because most
soils are more deficient i'm ni,ironn,,
than any other fertilizer ingredient
except PHOSPHORUS: and second no
cause nitrogen costs from two tn
tnree times as much per pound nc
me other fertilizer ingredients
from this ii is easily seen that =
pant which draws nitrogen from,
me air leaves it in the soil. as do tho
Iesumes is very profitable plant to
grow, even though it did not servo
any other purpose than this. AL
ChouSh nitrogen makes up about
iour-hithS OF the atmosphere. il can
not ne used in this form by anv
otner plant than the legumes. All
other pants require this nitrogen in
tne lorm OF nitrogen, which must be
dlSsolVed in water and then taken
up through the roots of the nIont
But this is not the case with legumes
Tor they are able by means OF very
minute organisms living on their
roots, to draw nitrogen from the air
ana store it in the soil These
organisms or bacteria, are already
IN the soil or may be put there nv
incubation. There is a certain kind
! OF bacteria fitted for each of the
legumes above mentioned.
Since no farm. however large or
small, is complete without more or
less live stock on it. and the more
the better. it is necessary that food
tor these animals be grown on the
farm. Legumes are especially
T l.
mals, which need a large proportion
of potin in their rations for fatten-
ing animal. Fat producing animals
such as the pig and beef COW. do moi
n""d so great a proportion OF protin
IN their ration. Though it is an es-
Sontial part Of the balanced ration
or the iattoning animal and also for
the mature animal which is neither
't"nlng or growing, but is doing
work. Since all farms need some
liv" stock and all live stock need a
nitrogous food it bchooves the farm
erS to supply this essential element
IN the cheapest possible manner No
other source of nitrogen furnishes
this important ingredient TO the
farmer in cheaper form than does
the lcguminous plant raised on his
own farm.
Legumes are a catch crop and is
one that is planted between the har-
vesting of one crop and the time for
planting the next. cover crop Is
one that is put on the land during
the winter to keep the soil from
Washlng away and TO prevent the
plant food. which is constantly be-
ing made soluble. from leaking ont
OF the soil. Such crops as cowpeas
are recommended especially for sow
ing on land after wheat and oats are
harvested. The pea vines are cut
with the mower in September and
october. After they are cured and
put into the barn, they are relished
/ both by horses and cattle No in
equation is necessary for the grow
/ lg OF the pea vines. Burr and Grim
son clover are sown in cotton or
corn from August till late fall
| THESE crops remain on the land all
winter and are turned under
/ for manure in the spring.
These crops serve a double purpose.
| Besides gathering free nitrogen from
the air and storing it in the soil
/ hey take up the nitrogen and other
plant foods that are constantly being
made available in the soil and hold
them. Otherwise these are becom-
ing available would be leaked out
OF the soil in the spring in readily
available form for the new crops,
such as cotton, corn, etc, to use.
Land should never under any cir
cumstances, be allowed to lie bare
and exposed to the weather. Another
crop that is very profitable is rye in
the spring. Rye has the advantage
over all the other crops You don't
have to have the incubation for il,
and II will grow on all kinds OF soils,
whether rich or poor. Especially is
this true in the case OF alfalfa. In
oculation, however, for the cloyerS
and alfalfa is not great difficult
task. The best way to inoculate
land is to haul dirt from field
where clover has grown for some
time and scatter over your land to
be inoculated. Thus 1t is an easy