64 Effective Farming 



about August or September. In the middle sections, as in 

 Maryland, the seeding may be done in July. The plants are 

 usually plowed under in the spring, but in some sections they 

 are allowed to produce seed and are plowed under the next 

 fall after planting. The usual acre-rate of seeding is from twelve 

 to twenty pounds. 



Cowpeas. Especially in the South, cowpeas are used ex- 

 tensively for green-manure. The plants produce a large 

 quantity of foliage ; consequently they return much humus 

 to the soil. The seeding may be done in the spring as soon 

 as danger from frost is over or may be delayed until early 

 summer. The plants will then be ready for plowing under 

 either early or late in the fall. Usually two bushels of seed 

 are planted to the acre, although some growers plant only 

 one and secure a good stand. 



Soybeans. Like cowpeas, soybeans make a good growth 

 of foliage and are very often used for green-manure. They 

 can be grown farther north and are usually found north of 

 Kentucky and Kansas, but they do well in the South, also. 

 They are about equal to red clover in the quantity of nitrogen 

 added to the soil. The seed should not be planted until all 

 danger of frost is past, the usual time being about when corn 

 planting is finished. From a bushel to a bushel and a half of 

 seed are sown to the acre, the large-seeded varieties requiring 

 the larger quantity. 



Vetches. Although there are several kinds of vetches, 

 only the hairy vetch and the common spring vetch are much 

 planted in America. The hairy vetch is known also as sand 

 and as winter vetch. It is a hardy plant and is grown as a 

 winter and a summer crop both in the North and South. The 

 seed is sown in summer or fall when used as a winter crop and 

 in spring when used as a summer crop. The plant has a trail- 

 ing habit and it easily becomes matted on the ground. This 

 makes it difficult to turn under. To obviate this difficulty, 

 the seed is usually planted with rye, oats, or some other grain, 



