SECTION II— FARM CROPS 



CHAPTER VIII 



CLASSIFICATION OF FARM CROPS 



Before we begin to study about the different crops that 

 farmers raise, it will be well for us to classify them into a few 

 groups by which they are commonly mentioned. 



1. Cereals. — By cereals is meant those crops which belong 

 to the grass family and whose seeds are made into flour which 

 is used for bread. The principal cereal crops are corn, wheat, 

 oats, rye, barley, rice, and millet. Rice and millet are scarcely 

 ever used for bread in this country, but in India and China 

 they are used extensively. 



2. Legumes. — We are all familiar with the appearance of 

 the blossoms of the garden pea and of sweet peas. There are 

 many plants which have similar blossoms. All such plants 

 are called legumes. Some of the common legumes are alfalfa, 

 all of the clovers, cow-peas, soy beans, peas, beans, and 

 vetches. Legumes are desirable plants for the farmer to 

 raise because they have nodules on the roots in which live 

 bacteria that collect nitrogen from the air. Some of this nitro- 

 gen is stored in the leaves and stems of the plants and some 

 remains in the nodules on the roots. When the plant is used 

 for feed it makes a richer food than such plants as timothy or 

 blue grass. Also, when the plant dies the roots remaining in 

 the ground contain more nitrogen than the roots of other 



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