Cover Crops 47 



a deep rooting legume, which opens up the subsoil and 

 adds nitrogen. 



The common red and mammoth clover are used very 

 extensively as cover crops, although they require the use 

 of the land for two seasons. They are deep rooting, gather 

 nitrogen from the air and are hardy. They make a heavy 

 growth of tops and generally need to be mown during 

 the first summer. It should be the practice in most cases 

 where clover is grown for a cover crop to not remove the 

 hay, but allow it to remain in the orchard where cut to 

 add to the humus supply. But where the soil is already 

 quite well supplied with humus there is no objection to 

 the removal of the hay. The clover should be turned under 

 in the spring of the third year. 



Sweet clover is used in a small way in some parts of 

 the country as a cover or green manuring crop. Alfalfa, 

 however, finds a much wider range of adaptability and is 

 extensively used among the irrigated orchards of the 

 Western states. It must be plowed under during the 

 second year, otherwise the roots become so woody as to 

 make plowing very difficult. 



In the Southern states the cowpea takes first rank as 

 a cover crop for orchard lands. It makes a rank growth, 

 roots deeply and gathers nitrogen from the air. It is 

 killed by the first frost, but its coarse herbage makes an 

 excellent ground cover during the winter. It can be sown 

 late in August and still make a good cover before being 

 killed by freezing weather. 



