168 ELEMENTS OF AGRICULTURE 



man's bank"; it might more properly have been called 

 "the poor soil's bank/' for from it the poor soil draws 

 fresh supplies of plant food. 



Among the legumes are included annuals, biennials, 

 and perennials! The variety of clover usually grown 

 for hay, known as red clover, is in temperate regions 

 a biennial. White clover, the small clover which grows 

 in most pastures, is a perennial; and there is still 

 another kiDd, known as crimson clover, which is an 

 annual. 



Clover should be cut for hay when in full bloom; 

 the peas and beans should be cut when the pods are 

 formed, but before they become hard. If these crops 

 are allowed to become too old before cutting, the leaves 

 are liable to drop from the stem, and the value of the 

 hay is thereby decreased. 



After being cut, leguminous crops should be cured 

 rapidly, for if they are allowed to remain in the sun 

 for many hours they become hard and brittle so that 

 when handled the leaves drop away from the stem. 



158. Pastures. — A pasture is a field planted in any 

 crop on which animals are allowed to graze. Pastures 

 are of two kinds, permanent and temporary. 



159. Permanent Pastures. — Fields on which peren- 

 nial forage crops are planted and allowed to grow year 

 after year are called permanent pastures. The best 

 kinds of pasture grasses form a very thick, dense growth 

 on the surface of the soil, while below the surface their 

 roots are so matted together that sections of a square 

 foot or more may be lifted from the soil. Such a growth 

 forms what is known as turf or sod. A good turf 



