IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL 



73 



tain a sufficient amount of phosphoric acid and potash. 

 What first brought it into prominence was the fact 

 that it grew so vigorously on the light, sandy soils 

 of Florida, wdiere the cowpea failed on account of 

 the attacks of nematodes. The velvet bean is per- 



Velvet Bean, leaf and flowers. 



fectly immune to this pest. It has been widely used 

 in Florida as a cover crop in orange orchards during 

 the summer rainy season, the usual practice there 

 being to cultivate during the dry season of winter 

 and shade the ground with some green crop dur- 

 ing the summer. The velvet bean seems admirably 



