184 



Effective Farming 



The seeds of many of the legumes are of use as human food. 

 Beans, peas, peanuts, and some varieties of cowpeas and soy- 

 beans are the chief legumes grown for this purpose. The 

 seeds are rich in protein. 



Another very important use of legumes is as soil improvers. 

 Legumes, whether grown for forage, seeds, or for turning under 



as green-manure crops, 

 are of benefit to the soil 

 and their great impor- 

 tance to permanent soil 

 fertility must not be lost 

 sight of by the American 

 farmer if the fertility and 

 productivity of the lands 

 are to be maintained. 



107. Legumes for for- 

 age. Many species and 

 varieties of legumes are 

 under cultivation in the 

 United States. Some 

 grow much better in some 

 sections than in others, 

 but there is a variety 

 adapted to every sec- 

 tion. Among the chief 

 legumes grown for forage 

 are red clover, alsike 



FIG. 77. Red clover, the most important 

 leguminous forage crop of the United States. 



clover, crimson clover, white clover, alfalfa, bur clover, field 

 peas, cowpeas, soybeans, vetches, sweet clover, Japanese clover, 

 Florida beggar-weed, velvet beans, and peanuts. 



Red clover. The most important leguminous forage crop in 

 the United States is red clover (Fig. 77). It is easily grown, 

 is well adapted to crop rotation, and grows well with timothy, 

 the chief grass used for hay. It has been for a long time a 

 stable hay crop in the northeastern part of the United States. 



