The Pulaskian., 1917-05-18

| iu&uFIduIly III SUI we'll Supp1ACU h lime It is one of the greatest soil builders among leguminous plants. It grows vigorously on very thin land if lime is present. and if undisturbed, af- ter being we'll seeded, will restore bar ren and depleted soils to a state of productivity.
 Melilotus is abundant in the black prairie region of the South, even where the lime rock is only thinly covered with soil
 There are three varieties of melllo- tus-the biennial white, the biennial yellow and the annual yellow. The last named is of little value.
 Melilotus. generally should be sown in February and March at the rate of 20 pounds per acre of hulled or one- half bushel of unhulled seed. Both bi- ennial varieties make a fairly good growth the first season, live through the winter and mature seed the second season, after which the plant dies. After a field is once thoroughly seeded, both the first and the second years growths occupy the ground each sea- son.
 In Kentucky and other states of like latitude where melilotus is well estab lished it is common to pasture lightly until the second years growth is ap- preaching maturity, when the stock is removed and the crop is later cut as hay or allowed to mature as a seed crop. In states well to the South one cutting for hay is commonly made the | first season after sowing and two or | three cuttings during the second sea son. When cut early before the stems are hard and woody, melilotus hay is of good quality and valuable for feed ing. The flavor of the plant, however, both green and cured, is such that anil mals often will not eat it until trained to do so.
 Red Clover.
 Red clover, which is a very promi- nent leguminous crop in the North, is not well adapted to the southern cli- mate. However, on fairly fertile soils rich in lime, such as the alluvial and black prairie lands and well-drained river bottoms, red clover makes good hay crop for one or two seasons.
 For the far South red clover should be sown about the middle of Septem- Der on a thoroughly prepared seed bed. No nurse crop should be used in this section. In the northern part of the cotton belt seeding is sometimes sue cessful when done on grain fields in early spring. About twelve pounds of seed per acre should be used. When red clover yields well in the South, from two to three cuttings of hay of from one to one and one-half tons each may be expected.
 On some soils not well adapted to red clover a good application of lime ire quently enables the crop to grow sue cessfully.
 Asike Glover.
 In manner and growth alsike clover is midway between red clover and white clover It will do fairly we'll on some soils where red clover fails for need of lime. It also grows on some soils which are too poorly drained for sue cess with red clover. It is a good plant for use in mixed pastures, and under favorable conditions it's growth is such as to produce fairly good yields for hay. The practice of mixing alsike and red clover is advisable.
 Vetches.
 The vetches are the strongest grow ing annual winter legumes and furnish splendid winter pasture and hay. Hairy vetch and common vetch are both ex- cellent to use in mixture with oats or rye winter pasture. Narrow-leafed yetch is best to use in permanent pas ture mixtures. When used with winter oats or rye about one bushel of the 1 grain and from one peck to a half bushel of vetch should be sown during September or October. Hairy vetch is harder than common vetch, but the seed is expensive. When grown for the first time on a field the soil should be inoculated.
 When pastured in winter, the stock should be removed from the vetch, or yetch mixture, fairly early in the spring to permit growth for good cutting of hay, or covering of green manure. When cut during April or May enough of the vetch seed will often shell and scatter to reseed the soil.
 Crimson Glover.
 Crimson clover is a winter annual well adapted as cover crop in sec tions where it does well. It is grown most abundantly on the coastal plain soils from New Jersey to South Caro-, lima and near the coast still farther south. Its extent has increased very fast in late years and 1t is now grown