212 MEADOWS AND PASTURES 



uable for feeding as timothy hay for cattle, and is eaten by stock 

 with much relish. Even when the harvesting is delayed until all 

 the leaves have fallen, stock will eat the straw readily. Mixed with 

 corn, soybeans are excellent for silage. The two crops may be 

 grown together, but it is usually better practice to plant in separate 

 fields and mix when putting into the silo. It is necessary to give 

 the soil thorough preparation in order to be successful with soy- 

 beans. Only fresh seed or seed which has been tested for germina- 

 tion should be planted. Two-year-old seed is usually not reliable. 

 The seed should be planted shallow, not to exceed 2'' in depth, and 

 preferably in rows 30" or, better, 36" apart to permit sufficient cul- 

 tivation to keep down weeds. For harvesting soybeans a mower 

 with or without a side-delivery attachment, a self-rake reaper, or 

 a self-binder can be used. A binder can be used only with the tall 

 varieties. The thrashing can be done with a grain separator by 

 using blank concaves and running the cylinder much slower than 

 for small grains or by the use of machines specially designed for 

 handling soybeans and cowpeas. 



Soybeans and cowpeas can be grown together satisfactorily; the 

 hay of such a mixture is better than either crop alone and the yield 

 is generally greater. In planting the two together the seed should 

 not be covered too deeply, as deep planting will result in a poor 

 stand of soybeans. As a crop in a short rotation soybeans are very 

 desirable. They can be grown so as to use an entire season in the 

 case of the late varieties, or two crops in one season can be se- 

 cured from some of the earlier ones. They can also be used very 

 advantageously to follow a small-grain crop the same season. The 

 important commercial varieties of soybeans are the Mammoth, the 

 Hdllybrook, and the Ito San. Among the most valuable new va- 

 rieties are the Austin, the Wilson, the Riceland, the Meyer, and 

 the Haberlandt." 



Alfalfa or Lucerne (Medicago saliva). I have pur- 

 posely left the description of the best forage plant to 

 the last. There is no clover, vetch, cowpea, soybean 

 or grass, worth growing where alfalfa will grow well. 

 Of all forage plants alfalfa is easily queen. It makes 

 the greatest weight of forage during the year. The 

 forage is richer than almost any other, and more palatable. 



