230 ECONOMIC PLANTS 



Legumes. - - The great value of legumes in nitrogen 

 fixation has been discussed on pages 113-114, but some 

 of them have high additional value as crops, clover, 

 alfalfa, and cow-peas being those that produce large 

 quantities of good hay. The legumes are rich in pro- 

 tein, and protein is the food substance that makes 

 muscle and milk; hence this substance in combination 

 with those that produce heat and energy forms the 

 food of a perfectly nourished animal. 



Clover. Red clover will grow on a poorer soil than 

 timothy, but its best growth comes from a fertile soil 

 rich in lime. It is extensively grown in northern and 

 eastern parts of the United States, where it usually 

 furnishes two crops a season. It should be harvested 

 soon after the blossoms begin to turn brown, in order 

 not to lose the leaves, which drop off when the plant 

 becomes dry. Clover hay is dusty when not very care- 

 fully made, and is, therefore, not so good for horses, 

 but it makes excellent roughage (coarse food) for sheep, 

 cows, and young stock. 



Alsike clover is adapted for growing on wet soils, and 

 mixed with timothy it makes a better balanced and 

 more palatable hay for horses than timothy alone. It 

 is not a hairy plant as red clover is, and is therefore 

 freer from dust. 



Alfalfa. Experiments have demonstrated that this 

 legume, far from being confined to the western states 

 for its productive area, can be grown successfully in 

 every state in the Union. In the warmer regions it 

 will, of course, grow more crops a year, but almost 

 every part of the country can grow at least two crops. 



Alfalfa prefers a deep, porous, somewhat alkaline 

 soil, well stored with minerals, especially limestone, 



