134 



FOR BETTER CROPS 



Whether the grasses and clovers should be sown with or with- 

 out a nurse crop will depend largely on climatic conditions. A 

 nurse crop is of course a crop along with which these crops are 

 sown; in many instances at the same time. Usually the grass 

 and clover seed thus sown grow without doing any harm or any 

 serious harm to the grain crop along with which they are sown 

 until the latter is harvested. In some instances, however, the 

 nurse crops overshade the ground to the extent of smothering 

 the young grass or clover plants. In other instances, they 

 smother them by lodging, and in yet other instances, they so 

 weaken them by drawing on the moisture in the soil, that the 

 young plants perish after the nurse crop has been harvested. 

 But usually the plan is good which sows them with a nurse crop. 



Alfalfa is of tener sown alone than the other grass and clover 

 seeds, as under some conditions the plants are benefited by 



The Jhay loader in the field 



being cut off two or three times with the mower during the 

 summer. 



The best nurse crop is probably barley, as it does not grow so 

 tall as other grains and occupies the ground for a shorter period. 

 Next to barley probably is speltz, for similar reasons. Then 

 comes rye, which does not stool so much as other grains and is 

 harvested earlier, thus letting in sunlight and ceasing at an early 

 period to draw moisture from the soil. After rye is wheat, of 

 both the winter and spring varieties. After wheat comes oats, 

 lowest in adaptation because of the abundance of the stool ing 

 and the large amount of the leaf growth. But oats answer well 

 for a nurse crop when they are grown thinly and cut for hay at 

 the heading out stage. 



In some instances grass and clover crops are sown along with 

 certain cereals which are pastured off rather than reaped. 

 Where soils are over porous, and the climate is dry, the plan 



