The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1923-04-26
Winter Legumes for
South Mississippi


that can Dc uepeHueu uPoH ~ Sos1S
M every fall and occupy the land
during the winter months. Our soils
are Of sandy nature and have .
tendency to wash and leach more
than heavier soils would do, and our
winter rainfalls is doubtless con-
siderably heavier than the average
Of the state. At least we know that
1O-year average as a whole is at
least 10 inches less than this amount.
When properly handled vetch has
been the best Of the winter cover
crops for North Mississippi and at
the A. & M. College and Holly
Springs we have seen it occupy the
land indefinitely from can original
seeding, when allowed to mature
each before being turned under. At
the A.s& M. College there are spots
on the campus, covered every winter
with a luxuriant growth Of vetch,
the original seeding of which was
made more than 80 years before.
For a number of years we have
been trying to find a winter legume
that would be for South Mississippi
what vetch has been for North Mis-
sissippi. This vetch has been tried
here repeatedly on both lined and
unlimed land and grows well from
the original seeding, but the blooms
and pods are attacked later by
authracnose and few seed ever ma
ture. The seed are expensive and
the farmer cannot afford to purr
chase them every year, besides the
expense and trouble Of preparing
the land and sowing the seed would
be quite an item. At the expert
ment Station we are now trying to
find variety Of watch resistant to
authracnose and at present have
some twenty kinds growing in a
test. We are also trying number
of kinds of clover, winter peas, etc.
Perhaps the most luxriant clover is
the one newly introduced from Aus
tralia called subterrannean clover.
1t bears the same relationship to
/. other cloyers that the peanut does
its seed beneath the ground. Just
to the pea family, that is, natures
its seed beneath the ground. just
how successful, this new clover will
reseed itself we have not yet had
time to determine.
Another very promising winter
cover crop is the Tangier pea which
makes the largest growth of vine OF
any crop Of its kind that we have
ever grown, blooms freely, and is
a most ornamental plant, almost the
equal Of sweet peas. We are not
yet sure that this crop will reseed
itself successfully.
So far, bur clover comes nearest
fulfilling the need Of our section
as permanent winter cover crop
one that is fool proof, and when once
planted and allowed to reseed will
permanently occupy the soil in win
ter At McNeill, combination Of
bur clover and bermuda grass fur
nished almot continuous grazing foi
dairy cattle throughout the year
and continuously occupied the soil
for number Of years from sin
gle seeding. The land on which the
two crops were grown had been en-
riched by the droppings Of dairy cat
tie and we have never seen a better
pasture any where than was this
one, the only precaution necessary
was that the cattle be removed
few weeks each spring to give thu
clover a chance to reseed.
At Poplarville, we have now
splendid stand Of bur clover tha
has been grown in rotation with
corn for three successive years from
the original seeding. Each year thil
clover 8 allowed to seed and is thel
turned under with large plov
capable Of .burying all litter. Ate
this, the corn Is planted and whel
ripe in the fall y gathered and tn
land again broken with 2 larg'
,plow. This last breaking bring
many of the bur clover seed nea'
the surface ana these immediatel'
erorx,.s--2x .-...x. h1 ,-l~.k-f anova an