Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1916-07-25

principles explain why some crops do 9
we'll when grown after clover or tn
other legumes.
As feed the legumes are the mos
valuable roughage produced upon th
farm. They may all be used for hs.
and soiling crops; red clover 10 bes
suited for pasture, and soy beans ar
best to put into the silo with corn. Th'
others may also be ensiled II the season i
wet and rainy, but II conditions are goot
for curing them for hay, it is not practi
cable to put them into the silo.
All the legumes are especially valued
as feed for their protein content. 1t II
the protein that Is most frequently lack
ing in the farm feeds and must be pur
chased in the form OF expensive concen
trates, az cottonseed meal, gluten meal
bran, oil meal, etc.
The protein is very complex com.
pound containing nitrogen built up by
the plant. This compound is necessary
for the animal to repair and build up iti
body or wasted tissue. The emaciated
condition of hard worked horses shows
the results of breaking down or using up
the protein In the body-the muscles or
lean meat-faster than it could be re-
paired. So, since this protein material
is absolutely necessary for young and
growing animals, for poor or emaciated
stock, for hard working and milk and
wool-producing animals, the legumes
can be made to furnish large supply OF
1t by growing them on the farm. Be-
sides, some of the legumes are especially
high in lime and ash or mineral sub
stances, which are necessary to develop
the bones and framework of the animal.
Hence they are doubly necessary and
valuable for young and growing stock,
insuring good, strong skeletons as well
as heavy flesbing.
The experiment stations and practical
feeders and dairymen claim they must
have the legume roughsges in order to
form economical ratiops. For the dairy
cow or fattening steer, alfalfa Tor clover
hay) and corn silsge form the ideal
roughage combination, and the use or
disuse of either may often determine
profits or losses.
II is difficult and uncertain to attempt
to form financial valuation OF the leg
umes, for their yield per acre and their
prices, as we'll as the prices of concen-
trated feeds and market stock, vary con-
siderably in different seasons and local
ities. But by considering the lessened
expense for concentrates when using leg
umes, and knowing that they form q
more balanced ration with corn, the
economy of growing them is evident.
The increased value az to fertility is
difficult to estimate also, but Shaw says
in bis work on clovers, "An acre OF Glow
er when matured will sometimes add 200
to 800 pounds of nitrogen to the soil
under favorable conditions" Taking
the lower figures at the moderate price
of Is cents per pound-for nitrogen In
your sack Of complete fertilizer will cost
nearly 20 cents per pound-the increased
fertility would be worth $50.
Great and important indeed is the
value of the legumes when considered as
to their fixation of nitrogen, Improvement
of the soil, and their use as feed. Ger
tainly the practical farmer should not be
and stop at the first failure
or unsuccessful attempt to grow them,
but should persist until he has enc or
more of the legume crops in his regular
farm system.