107 



Ciinison clover is a legumiuous plaut, or legume, aud is 

 ranked with the other cultivated legumes, towpeas, velvet, 

 jtieans, vetches, red clover, etc., as a soil-improving plant. 



HOW CRIMSON CLOVER IMPROVES THE SOIL. 



Criniisou clover improves the soil on which it grow.s bj 

 the following means : 



(1> Since it grows during winter, its roots utilize any 

 nitrates or other soluble plant food which would 

 l>e washed or leached from the soil. 



(2); On account of its winter growth it decreases sur- 

 face washing of the soil. 



(li). When either the stubble or the entire ]»lant is 

 plowed under, vegetable matter of a kind that 

 readily rots is added to the soil- 



(4). Trimsov: clover, like all the other .soil-improving 

 legumes, is able, when properly grown, to take ' 

 nitrogen from the air to add it to the soil. 



HOW LEGUMES ADD NITROGEN TO THE SOIL. 



Crimson clover, like cowpeas, when grown under proi^er 

 conditions, adds much nitrogen to each acre of soil. It 

 takes this nitrogen from the air. where it is unavailable to 

 corn, cotton, and most other farm crops. The only cultiva- 

 ted plants that <an thus utili7>e the free nitrogen of the air 

 for their own growth and for subsequent soil enrichment- 

 are the legumes, or leguminous plants, such as cowpeas, 

 clovers, vetches, etc. Even these legumes cann<it make use 

 of the nitrogen of the air and cannot improve the soil ex- 

 cept when they bear on their roots certain enlargements or 

 hump;^.. called fuherrles or noflnles:. (See Fig. 2.) Familiar 

 examples of nodules are the roundish enlargements on the 

 roots of cowpeas. Tubercles may be regarded as fertilizer 

 factories for the manufacture of fertiliz^er nitrogen from 

 the unlimited nunutities of free, or gaseous, nitrogen in the 

 air abovp. The air nenetrates all cultivated and" draineJ 

 soils and thus com^s into contact with the tul)ercles on the 

 roots of Iforuminous rlants. where it is used as the raw 

 roatei-ial for the manufacture of fertilizer nitrogen, anr 



