Farm . Manure . 145 



ordinary field bean and field pea. Red clover in the one most 

 commonly used. They produce good results even when the crop 

 is harvested and the stubble plowed under. At the Rothamsted 

 Experiment Station it has been estimated that 50 pounds or more 

 of nitrogen per acre is added to the soil annually in the roots and 

 stubble of clover alone. 



Under certain conditions green manuring may be attended by 

 dangers. In a dry season the growth of a crop to plow under 

 may decrease the moisture content of the soil to a point that is 

 harmful to the succeeding crop. In such a season there may also 

 be insufficient moisture in the soil to bring about the decomposi- 

 tion of the organic matter which is turned under. When green 

 manuring is practiced in a dry season, the land should be rolled 

 so as to establish capillarity as far as possible. 



Where systems of stock farming are practiced, it appears to 

 be a wasteful method to plow under green crops which may be 

 suitable for feed. It would be found more profitable to feed them 

 to the animal, carefully save the manure and return it to the 

 fields. Green manuring will prove desirable in any system of 

 farming where the crops are sold from the farm. On the other 

 hand, when the farmer is engaged in stock farming and the crops 

 are of value as feeds, then turning them under must be considered 

 a wasteful practice. 



