GROWING LEGUMES FOR SOIL BETTERMENT 97 



about 35 bushels, in the beginning, to about 50 bushels 

 at the present time. Evidently the practice was a good 

 one in this case. 



Those who are not familiar with crimson clover should 

 try it on a small scale at first, as there have been many 

 failures with it. The following five-year rotation is a 

 good one on stock farms in middle latitudes, and shows 

 one way of securing the benefits of crimson clover as a 

 green manure: Corn with crimson clover sown at last 

 cultivation, corn, oats, wheat, clover (common red). 



The vetches can be made to occupy a somewhat similar 

 place as a green manure, at least in the South. 



It seldom pays to turn under a crop of cowpeas in the 

 green state. It is better practice to make hay of them, 

 feed the hay, and put the manure back on the land. As 

 is the case with all legumes, the roots of the cowpea crop 

 add a great deal of nitrogen to the soil, and have a marked 

 effect on fertility. If a heavy green crop of cowpeas is 

 plowed under in the autumn it is best not to plant the 

 land until the following spring. A very good plan for 

 bringing up the fertility of a worn-out field is to sow 

 rye in the fall, plow this under in the spring, harrow 

 thoroughly, let the land lie a month, and then sow cow- 

 peas. Cut the peas for hay and sow rye again. A few 

 seasons of such treatment will restore fertility to the 

 soil. Fortunately, both of these crops will grow on very 

 poor land. 



Almost any crop may be used as a green manure, as 

 occasion demands. Those previously mentioned are 

 more generally used for this purpose than others. In 

 plowing up clover sod, many farmers, particularly on 

 fields most in need of manure, wait until the clover is 

 nearly ready to cut for hay before plowing, in order 

 to get the additional nitrogen and humus thus produced. 

 Buckwheat is frequently grown as a green manure. This 

 crop is planted in early summer or late spring and turned 



