[.!.«.( MIXOL'S I ROI'S. 



535 



Of the summer crops, velvel beans will make the best growth on poor land, 

 though fertilisers, particularly superphosphate in -mall quantities, usually 



make a vastly increased growth of any one oi them on such land. Soybeans 

 are a little more resistant to dry weather than the other two crops, though 

 none of them can be strictly ealled drought-resistant. 



While not regarded a- main fodder crops in any district, they have 

 decided uses in this direction which are very little known at present. A.par1 

 from soil improvement each of these crops ha- it- particular excelling sphere 

 of utility — cowpea- a- a purely hay crop, soybeans as a grain crop for pigs 

 (particularly for hogging down) and also a- an emergency hay crop, and 

 velvet beans as a catch crop for winter grazing. It is the utilisation of the 

 tops of peanuts for hay after the nuts have been threshed that makes the 

 crop so valuable for foddei*, though the whole plant may he used for hogging 

 -down. 



A- hay crops, cowpeas and soybeans cannot compete with lucerne where 

 this crop can be grown, but lucerne has its soil and climatic limitations, and 

 it is here that cowpeas or soybeans are deserving of a place. Their hay i- 

 n.i re difficult to cure than lucerne hay owing to the thicker stems, but 

 has the advantage of being actually less damaged by rain during hay-making 

 The following analyses show how favourably the hay compares in feeding 

 value with that of lucerne or clover: — 



Percentage of Digestible Nutrients. 



Soybean hay appears to be therefore about equal to lucerne hay and 

 superior to clover hay, while cowpea hay is only slightly inferior to clover 

 hay. 



Winter Legumes. 



Field peas are being more and more extensively grown for the combined 

 purposes of soil improvement and stock feeding. In the coastal districts 

 they are sown alone, mostly in late autumn, for late winter or early spring- 

 grazing for dairy co.ws, or if feed is not short at the time they are ploughed 

 in as green manure, and then followed with a maize crop with beneficial 

 results. They can also be sown in combination with oats or wheat for green 

 feed of better feeding value than the cereal alone. On the tablelands, where 

 the crop is mostly used as a fodder crop for sheep, sowing must take place 

 in early autumn or early spring, as severe frosts cut the plants to the ground. 

 In the more favoured wheat districts field peas could with advantage be 

 grown with the oat crop for hay for farm use. 



Vetches and tares, too, are used as a dual-purpose crop, mostly in coastal 

 districts, the greater bulk of the growth being used as a soiling crop, and the 

 remainder ploughed in as green manure. The vetch is also used in com- 

 bination with a cereal. 



