20 



FARM CROPS 



shows, get all their nitrogen from the soil. Hence, 

 they more or less exhaust the soil, but the clovers| 

 are legumes, and all legumes are able, by the means 

 of the bacteria on their roots, to use the free nitro- 

 gen of the air. Hence, without cost to the farmer, 



these clovers help the soil 

 to feed their neighbors, the 

 true grasses. For this rea- 

 son some legumes should 

 always be included in the 

 grass seed. 



Previous Preparation.— 

 In the sowing of grasses or 

 clovers it is not possible for 

 them to do well in a soil full 

 of weeds. It is best to plant 

 the grass in fields from! 

 which cultivated crops have 

 been taken. Grasses follow 

 cowpeas, wheat and oats 

 nicely for this reason. The 

 soil in which grass is to be 

 seeded should be very fine, 

 mellow and compact. One- 

 half the failures in grow- 

 ing grass is due to the 

 fact that the land has just 

 been plowed, and con- 

 sequently its particles are loose and comparatively 

 far apart. This want of soil firmness is the cause 

 of failure. Let the soil be free of weeds, but com- 

 pact and mellow soil acts as a blanket to keep the 

 moisture from wasting into air, and at the same 

 time the warm air is enabled to circulate in the soil. 

 If it is necessary to plow the land previous to 



BLUE GRASS 

 Both the Kentucky and 

 Canadian blue grasses are 

 pictured here — the Canadian 

 at the left and the Ken- 

 tucky at the right. Their 

 principal use Is for per- 

 manent pastures and for 

 lawns. 



