44 



which the ground may be plowed and cultivated in other crops during the summer. 

 The clover seed will remain in the ground, and if the Held is cleared of its sununer 

 crop by October no reseeding will be required. An excellent plant to mix with 

 Bermuda on a calf pasture. 



Bush Mallow {Sida eZ/io«ii).— Perennial; stems slender, erect, 2 to 3 ft^et; 

 branches long and straight; leaves very narrow; flowers yellow, 1 inch wide. 



Kather conunon in dry, ojjen woods, and eaten well by cattle, probably for its 

 mucilaginous seeds, even late in the season 

 after the stems become dry and hard. Not 

 worth cultivating. 



Butterfly Pea (Clitoria mariana). — Per- 

 ennial; stems erect or twining, 2 to 4 feet; 

 leaflets 3, ovate-obhmg; flowers pale blue, 

 2 inches in diameter; legumes 11 to 2 inches 

 long. 



Common on dry, woodland soils, and 

 yields nutritious grazing, but is too scat- 

 tering to be of much value. 



Canada Field Pea (I'isum arvense) (fig. 

 15). — An annual, much like the common 

 garden pea. It has been planted at many 

 places in the Gulf States, but has never 

 proved valuable. When sown in the fall 

 its growth is not equal to that of the 

 vetches, while if sown in spring it suflers 

 severely from mildew. 



Carolina Clover ( TrifoUiim carolinia- 

 MMm). — Perennial; stems tufted, prostrate, 

 6 to 10 inches; leaflets small, obcordate; 

 flowers white, tinged with purple; calyx 

 reflexed when mature, (.'ommon on dry 

 clay soils, making its growth early in the 

 spring and soon disappearing; valuable 

 only because it gives a little early grazing on soils too poor for most otlier jdants. 



Cassava (Manihot aijn) (fig. 16). — Perennial; stems erect; branching. 4 to 6 feet; 

 leaves large, palniately compound; roots 3 to 5 feet long, 1 to 2 inches in diameter, 

 and very starchy. A native of the tropics, but recently introduced in Louisiana 

 iuid Florida. On fertile soil it is said to yield as much as 10 tons of roots per acre, 

 and the roots are worth fully as much as potatoes for feeding. The plant is ])ropa- 

 gated by planting short cuttings of the stems, and requires only ordinary cultiva- 

 tion. As the roots decay (piickly after being taken out of the ground, they should 

 be dug only as wanted for use. 



Chinese Yam {I Hoxcorca batatas).— A perennial twining vine, often reaching a 

 length of 20 feet; leaves heart-shai)ed ; flowers small, white, in rather dense clusters. 



The roots are (|uite large, club-shaped, often leaching 3 feet in length with a 

 diameter of 3 inches at the lower (Mid. They are starchy and mucilaginous, and 

 make a food fully as rich as sweet potatoes, but their peculiar shape makes them 

 hard to dig. The ])laiit is projiagated i)y means of small tubers which are produced 

 in immense numbers in the axils of the leaves, and on a rich loamy soil tht; yield of 

 these tubers is often fifty or more bushels per acre. These tubers remain on the 

 surface of the ground uninjured during ordinary winters, and so are a valuable 

 winter food for hogs. 



Chufa {Ci/pcrHH (.nctdentus). — A perennial sedge that jiroduces a large yield of small 

 tubers wiiich are a valuable food for hogs. It grows best on a sandy soil which has 

 been well fertilized, where it makes a yi<ld of from 7;") t<> 10(» liushels i)er acre. The 

 tubers are ]ilanted in early spring, 12 to 1.^ inches ajiart in rows 3 to 4 feet apart, and 



Fig. 15.— Canada field i»ea (IHsum arvente). 



