THE CLOVER FAMILY 149 



Effect of Legumes on the Soil. I have never seen a 

 legume that did not leave land better than it found it. 

 Clovers penetrate deep with their roots and decaying leave 

 channels for both air and moisture. Alfalfa is even more 

 vigorous in such work. Vetches leave the soil loose and 

 permeable. There is indeed a curious effect on the soil 

 of the growing of legumes difficult to explain the effect 

 in making clays friable and hard soils mellow. The ef- 

 fect on the succeeding crop is indeed marvelous, especially 

 if the whole forage of the legume is turned under or fed 

 off on the land by animals. 



Legumes May Not Enrich Soils. Mooers has shown 

 at the Tennessee Experiment Station that cowpeas grown 

 in rotation with wheat, the peas cut and carried away 

 from the land, apparently reduced fertility instead of in- 

 creasing it. Probably the peas drew heavily on the soil's 

 store of phosphorus or else drew so heavily on the mois- 

 ture of the soil that the wheat following it secured a poor 

 start in the fall. Assuredly if the mineral requirements 

 of a soil are not given attention the taking away of crops 

 of legumes may end in a depleted and unproductive soil. 



THE CLOVERS. 



The very sound of the word "clover" suggests fields 

 of sweet-smelling bloom, bees, birds and sunshine. Take 

 away the first letter and you have left "lover," the best 

 estate ever achieved by man, and decapitate the word 

 again and you have left "love," the mainspring of action 

 in all that is best in the world. There are many species 

 and varieties of clover. Curious readers should read the 



