MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 235 



301. Rape is a type of a strong feeding plant capa- 

 ble of obtaining its food under conditions adverse to 

 grain culture. When grown too frequently upon the 

 same soil it does not thrive. On account of its great 

 capacity for obtaining food, it is a valuable crop to 

 use for green manuring purposes. 79 



302. Buckwheat is a strong feeding crop and its 

 demands for food are easilv met. On rich soil, a rank 

 growth of straw results, with poor seed formation. 

 Buckwheat is usually sown upon the poorest soil of 

 the farm. Being a strong feeder it is frequently used 

 as a manurial crop, being plowed under while green to 

 serve as food for weaker feeding crops. 



303. Cotton. — On average soils cotton stands in 

 need first of phosphoric acid, second of nitrogen. 80 It 

 is most able to obtain potash, but soils deficient in pot- 

 ash require its use. Organic nitrogen as cottonseed 

 meal and stable manure appear equally as effective as 

 nitric nitrogen. Phosphoric acid must be applied in 

 the most available forms. In fertilizing cotton, 

 the use of green manuring crops as cow peas with an 

 application of marl gives beneficial results. Marl, how- 

 ever, should not be applied alone because of the forma- 

 tion of insoluble phosphate of lime. Lime combines 

 with the decaying organic matter in preference to 

 phosphates, a result which is beneficial to both soil 

 and crop. 



304. Hops. — The hop plant is peculiar in regard 



