306 



FORAGE CROPS 



FORAGE CROPS 



vator, preventing the loss of humus and of plant- 

 food by keeping the soil covered with a crop 

 throughout the growing season. The turf and fine 

 " aftergrowth " adds much to the fertility of the 

 surface soil, when the meadows are plowed for 

 cultivated crops. The clovers, and other legumes, 

 so extensively grown as forage, take much of their 

 nitrogen from the air and add considerable to the 

 stores already in the soil. As a rule, forage-crop- 

 ping and the feeding of the forage to farm live- 

 stock is therefore a more economical system of 

 farm management than the direct sale of farm 

 crops. 



Incidental Forage-like Plants. Figs. 414-423. 

 By the Editor, C. F. Wheeler, and others. 



The main forage crops are treated elsewhere in 

 this Cyclopedia, in their proper alphabetical order. 

 There are many incidental and litth-grown plants 

 sometimes mentioned in connection with forage and 

 rotation discussions that may be brought together 

 here. 



Bird's-foot clover, Bird's-foot trefoil, Yellow 

 trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Leguminosce. A peren- 

 nial clover-like plant with a long taproot, stems 

 spreading, from a few inches to two feet long, with 

 clusters of five to ten bright yellow flowers on 

 the ends of the stems. It is widely spread in the 

 Old World and naturalized in this country, espe- 

 cially in the South, where cattle and sheep eat 

 it readily. It withstands drought and may be 

 sown in mixtures in dry pastures. It dpes well on 

 light, sterile soils, and roots deeply. It begins to 

 grow early, and is chiefly valuable as a spring 

 pasture. 



Broom sedge. A name applied to several spe- 

 cies of Andropogon or Beard-grass, especially to 

 Andropogon Virginicus, which is common in sandy 

 soil from eastern Massachusetts to Virginia, Illi- 

 nois and southward. Stock eat this grass readily 

 when it is young, and it furnishes pasturage during 

 the season. When fields are left without culti- 

 vation for a time, it becomes one of the worst 

 weeds. 



Buffalo pea. A name given to Astragalus cras- 

 siearpus {Leguminosce), which grows throughout 

 the Mississippi valley. The straggling stems pro- 

 duce many fleshy -pods two-thirds of an inch in diam- 

 eter, which are relished by hogs, sheep and cattle. 

 The pods appear early in the spring and reach full 

 size the last of April in southern Texas and by June 

 in North Dakota. Successful attempts to cultivate 

 this plant are not on record. 



Burnet (Poterium Sanguisorba). A deeply root- 

 ing perennial herb of the rose family about a foot 

 high, with alternate leaves and small flowers in a 

 dense head. It is a native of limestone regions in 

 central and southern Europe and temperate Rus- 

 sian Asia, where it is used for pasture. Early in 

 the last century it was highly recommended in 

 this country for the same purpose, but it is seldom 

 seen in cultivation at present. It is fairly hardy 

 and some'ffhat drought-resistant in places. It is not 

 very palatable, and is a weak grower. It is adapted 



to dry, sandy and calcareous soils. It may be sown 

 in April and again in September in mixtures. It is 

 seeded at the rate of thirty pounds to the acre. 

 The leaves are sometimes used in flavoring soups 

 and other dishes. 



414. Chick-jea or Gram 

 {Cicer arietinum). 



Chick-pea (Gieer arietinum). Leguminosm. Fig. 

 414. Also called Gram, Garbanzo, Idaho pea, 

 Chuna, Bengal grain. A native in Europe, and 

 little cultivated here. It is much grown in south- 

 ern Europe, Asia and Mexico for its seeds, which 

 are used for cattle food and also as human food. It 

 is a branching annual, growing two feet high, as a 

 bushy, hairy plant. Many upright stems rise from 

 the same root. The leaves have several pairs of 

 small, roundish or oblong leaflets ; the flowers are 

 white or reddish, small, single and axillary, on 

 short stalks. The seed is roundish, flattened on the 

 sides, with a projection on one side. The plant 

 matures in about ninety days, and yields little 

 green stuff. The herbage contains a poisonous 

 secretion that renders it unfit for stock feed. 



The seed is sown at the rate of thirty to fifty 

 pounds per acre, depending on whether it is drilled 

 or broadcasted. It is planted late in the spring. 

 There are several varieties, adapted to a wide 

 range of soils ; a loam soil is best. It is better 

 adapted to arid and semi-arid regions than to 

 humid. It is very sensitive to cold, and likes plenty 

 of sun during its growing period. It is valuable as 

 a nitrogen-gatherer, and the seeds are useful for 

 horse, cattle, sheep and poultry feeding. Under 

 the name of chuna a variety was introduced in the 

 Southwest to be used as a substitute for coffee. 

 The chick-pea is used as an adulterant of coffee. 



Chinese yam {Dioscorea glabra). Dioscoreacem. 

 This plant was introduced into this country as a 

 substitute for the potato soon after the rot threat- 

 ened the extermination of the potato. For a while 

 it was cultivated. It forms a long, club-shaped 

 root two to three feet long, being largest at the 

 bwer end. The plant is propagated from small 



