MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS. 215 



the great power which it is said to possess of draw- 

 ing nitrogen from the air. 



When grown as a food crop the velvet bean 

 sends out runners in every direction as watermelons 

 do, and the vines thus thrown out are frequently 

 ten to twenty feet long. They eventually cover the 

 ground with a rank mass of vegetation fifteen to 

 twenty inches deep. The seeds should not be planted 

 nearer to fruit trees of a dwarfish habit of growth 

 than five or six feet, lest trouble should arise from 

 the vines climbing up into the trees and extending 

 around the branches. It begins to fruit not far from 

 the root of the plant, and pods appear in clusters at 

 intervals all along the length of the vine. These 

 pods are brown and velvety in character, hence 

 probably the name, velvet bean. It has been affirmed 

 that the yield of seed on average soils is from twenty 

 to thirty bushels per acre. 



Because of the dense shade which the velvet 

 bean produces, it has been found valuable in smoth- 

 ering various kinds of noxious weeds and grasses, 

 particularly Bermuda grass (Cynodon Dactylon) 

 and nut grass (Cyperus rotundus). The dense cov- 

 ering which it furnishes to the ground retards in a 

 marked degree the escape of moisture. In dry 

 weather therefore the service thus rendered is in- 

 valuable to orchards. 



The velvet bean is commonly planted in rows. 

 Five feet has been named as a suitable distance 

 between them. From three to five beans are planted 

 in hills at short intervals along the line of the row. 

 The seed should be planted early in the season but 

 not until the weather has become warm. The 



