Legumes 193 



general it may be said that soybeans will prosper wherever 

 corn can be grown profitably. When the crop is to be used for 

 hay, the plants should be cut before the leaves are very mature ; 

 if allowed to stand too long before cutting, the leaves will drop 

 off in curing and the stems will be woody. The soybean can 

 be used successfully for soiling purposes ; by planting several 

 varieties that mature at different times, a succession of green 

 crops can be obtained. The crop is sometimes pastured, but 

 like cowpeas is not especially valuable for this purpose. In 

 many sections, especially in the South, the seeds are ground 

 and the oil extracted. The oil, meal, and cake are used in the 

 same way as cotton-seed products. The methods of planting 

 and of harvesting are similar to those followed for cowpeas. 



Field peas. With the exception of colored flowers and the 

 seeds inclined to be yellow, field peas are much like garden 

 peas. They are grown most successfully in regions having a 

 cool summer and reach their best development in Canada and 

 the northern part of United States. Wisconsin, Michigan, 

 Pennsylvania, New York, and the high valleys of Colorado 

 produce most of the crop in the United States. The seed is 

 usually sown with oats. The combination is used mostly for 

 green-manure, soiling crops, or hay, but the plants are some- 

 times allowed to mature and the grains harvested together. 



Vetches. The types of vetches have been described on 

 previous pages. In addition to use as green-manure, they are 

 sown for hay and soiling crops. When intended for hay, 

 vetch is usually seeded with a cereal, because of the trailing 

 habits of the plants. Seeded in the fall with rye or wheat, 

 vetch produces an excellent soiling crop for use in the early 

 spring. 



Japan clover. The legume known as Japan clover is an 

 annual, usually from eight to ten inches high, sometimes under 

 favorable conditions reaching a height of fifteen inches. It is 

 not a clover as the name seems to indicate, but belongs to a 

 different subclass of plants. Its chief use is for pasture in the 

 o 



