LEGUMES in 



In the Corn Belt red clover generally fits well into a system 

 of farming where animals are to be fed. In the South cow- 

 peas, soy beans and velvet beans are commonly grown. 

 Here especially the system of farming must include soil 

 improvement. Cowpeas and velvet beans are well adapted 

 for enriching the soil and also for feeding farm animals. 

 If silage is to be made, soy beans or cowpeas fit well into 

 the system. Silage made of either of these legumes and corn 

 usually makes a better ration than a silage made of corn 

 alone. 



Raising the crop. Each legume must be raised by the 

 methods best suited to its particular needs. Space will not 

 permit a detailed consideration of all these methods, but 

 there are some general principles that apply to all legumes. 

 These principles may be briefly summed up as follows: the 

 soil should be as well drained as possible, and any acidity 

 corrected by use of lime; the seed bed should be well pre- 

 pared; the seed should have a high percentage of germina- 

 tion and be free from weed seeds; the harvesting should be 

 timed to give the greatest yield of digestible nutrients; the 

 method of harvesting should provide for thorough curing of 

 the hay. 



Red clover. This legume is grown very generally through- 

 out the states of the Com Belt, and to some extent in most 

 of the other states. The importance of clover is indicated 

 by the statement made by the Illinois State Agricultural 

 Experiment Station to farmers of Illinois "that the growing 

 of clover on somewhere near one-fourth the tillable land is 

 absolutely essential in the permanent maintenance of the 

 productivity of the state." 



The value of red clover lies in its ability to enrich the soil 

 by fixation of nitrogen, its large, root system penetrating the 



