222 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



EXERCISES 



1. Locate a vigorous growth of sweet clover, red clover, alfalfa, or 

 cowpeas, and carefully dig up the roots, making certain not to break 

 off the root tubercles. Place the roots in a pail of water, and slowly 

 wash the plant so as to remove the soil. Estimate the number and 

 size of the tubercles on a few average-sized roots. 



2. How does the depth of the roots of these plants compare with 

 that of corn, wheat, oats, or cotton ? 



3. If a farmer near your school will turn under a strip of heavy 

 legume growth, and pasture or make hay from the rest of the field, 

 then plant all the field to any grain crop the next season, an interest- 

 ing record may be kept to show the results of these two methods of 

 using legumes. 



4. Secure samples of clover and alfalfa seed and discover how 

 nearly pure the seed is. 



5. By use of pictures of weed seeds try to determine what kinds 

 of weed seeds are mixed with your clover or alfalfa seed, if any. 



6. Select one hundred good seeds, plant, and determine what 

 percentage grows. 



REFERENCES 



COBURN, F. D. Book of Alfalfa. Orange Judd Company. 



SHAW, THOMAS. Clovers. Orange Judd Company. 



SHAW, THOMAS. Soil Crops and the Silo. Orange Judd Company. 



Alfalfa, Bulletin 339, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Canadian Field Peas, Bulletin 228, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



Cowpeas and Soy Beans, Bulletin 309, United States Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Lespedeza, or Japan Clover, Bulletin 441, United States Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Red Clover, Bulletin 445, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Legume Inoculation, Bulletin 3 75, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Leguminous Crops for Green Manuring, Bulletin 278, United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. 



Peanuts, Bulletin 431, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Sweet Clover, Bulletin 485, United States Department of Agriculture. 



Seeds of Red Clover and its Impurities, Bulletin 260, United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. 



