278 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Crimson clover appeared in five days, even, fairly strong; Aug. 12, 

 three inches high, covering ground fairly well; strongest in partial shade; 

 Oct. 14, strongest plants 15 to IS inches; on lighter and poorer parts, 

 plants were rather weak. 



Mammoth clover appeared rather sparsely in six days; Aug. 12, growth 

 moderate, weeds, principally purslane, taking possession at first Oct. 14; 

 strong, even growth throughout; average twelve inches high, giving a 

 close, heavy covering. 



Alfalfa came up in five days, a remarkably even and strong catch; 

 Aug. 12, eight to ten inches high, completely covering the ground; Oct. 

 14, knee-high, very uniform; growth strong, even on light sand. 



Common red appeared unevenly in six or seven days; Aug. 12, two to 

 three inches high; ground partially covered; Oct. 14, 6 to 10 inches high; 

 rather thin here and there; not heavy enough. 



Soja beans appeared promptly and evenly in five days ; Aug. 12, plants 

 8 to 12 inches high, vigorous; Oct. 14, quite black and leafless; killed by 

 first frost; ground practically unprotected. 



Cow peas germinated evenly in five or six days; about right as to quan- 

 tity, making strong growth; Aug. 12, plants 10 to 12 inches high, nearly 

 shading ground; Oct. 14, exactly the same condition as soja beans. 



Information to be gained by the condition in which the different crops 

 come through the winter is necessary in order to arrive at satisfactory 

 conclusions. From present appearances. Mammoth clover seems to 

 furnish a cover which, if not ideal, yet appears to be such as to place it 

 among the most useful of the available plants for this purpose in this 

 locality. Alfalfa has certainly done well, and I believe could be used 

 with advantage on sandy or gravelly soils. Crimson clover grows rapid- 

 ly and forms an excellent cover, but our experience shows that it is 

 unreliable, and this experience is corroborated by that of the best fruit- 

 growers in the oldest portions of Ontario. As for cow peas and soja 

 beans, they are not equal in the colder sections for cover-crop purposes to 

 common field peas. 



A deep-rooting plant with a leafy habit of growth, owing to the neces- 

 sities of the case, is desirable; also a plant that will add to the fertility 

 of the soil when turned under; The beneficial effects of green manuring 

 is clearly explained by the chemist of the experiment farm in the follow- 

 ing language (Report 1895, page 210): 



"By the acid exuded from the rootlets, by the carbonic acid of the 

 atmosphere, and by other means, plants are enabled to make use of much 

 of the mineral matter of the soil. This is stored within their tissues, 

 together with water and organic matter, the latter being derived in the 

 gaseous form from the atmosphere, and elaborated by the leaves. The 

 turning under of a green crop, therefore, supplies for succeeding crops 

 a store of readily digested plant food — of potash, phosphoric acid, and 

 nitrogen. In addition to these essential elements of fertility, the decay- 

 ing organic matter from the turned-under crops acts beneficially in con- 

 serving the soil's moisture, a most important matter for light and prav- 

 elly soils. Further, the presence of this organic matter serves to i-egu- 

 late the soil's temperature, and its decay brings about the solution cf 

 inert forms of plant food already present. 



