44 SECOND THOUSAND QUESTIONS IN AGRICULTURE 



us. It will not catch any atmospheric humus. For that, cow peas would 

 be better, but for pumping out water not so good, and for covering the 

 surface against evaporation, cow peas would be worse than alfalfa. 

 With such moist soil and plowing under green stuff twice a year, you 

 are in danger of souring the soil, but you can correct that by liming. 

 The treatment you propose ought to slow down your prune trees. Under 

 more arid conditions it would run them out. 



Cover Crop on Summer-Crop Land. 



Will the plowing under of wild oats have a tendency to dry out the 

 ground to be sown to Egyptian corn, tnilo maize, etc., about May \? 

 When should a heavy soil be plowed for such planting? 



If you plow under in February and you get fair rains in March, 

 your summer crop will be advantaged, if the stuff is plowed in well and 

 the land is straight-disked or subsurface packed after plowing, to close 

 up air spaces below without dragging out the stuff. This will cause it to 

 decay in a retentive soil. The same practice is the best preparation for a 

 summer crop, even if you have not much to plow under. It is a great 

 way to save moisture, but if you are not turning under much you can use 

 a harrow instead of the other tools mentioned. 



Spring and Summer Feed for Hogs. 



/ want to plant in Sonoma County two separate fields of green forage 

 crop for hog pasture to cover the periods from March 15 to May 15, 

 and from May IS to July 15, respectively. I have pasture of bur clover 

 and wild oats and other natural grasses on which I can carry the 

 hogs until about March 15 ; and after July 15 / have oat stubble, etc. 



For your earlier period you can get good green forage from oats 

 and vetch sown together early in February. For your later period 

 we know of nothing to beat alfalfa. You can get good returns from 

 unirrigated alfalfa on land which many people will tell you will not 

 grow it. We have seen volunteer alfalfa growing rankly in fence 

 corners in July on the farms of such people in your part of your 

 county. Of course, if you can irrigate it you will get much more 

 growth. Unless you are in a frosty place you can sow it as soon as 

 your land gets wet by rains if they are not delayed too long. 



Double-Cropping on Short Rainfall. 



/ have some black-eye beans in now. I had intended after taking 

 the beans off to plant the ground to oats, but a neighbor suggested plant- 

 ing field peas, raising these during the winter and cultivate and then when 

 they were taken off to replant the black-eyes. Would this be practical on 

 land which is not irrigated, with a rainfall of ten inches? By careful 

 cultivation would it be possible to raise these two crops of legumes in- 

 stead of one of grain and the black-eye beans in the alternate years ivith 

 this amount of moisture? 



