308 



FORAGE CROPS 



FORAGE CROPS 



Fig. 416. 

 Kidney vetch 



(AnthylliB Vul 

 neraria) . 



periment Station at Michigan tried the flat pea 

 extensively for ten years, and reached the conclu- 

 sion that it is of little value as a fodder plant or 

 green-manure. In Kansas it was 

 slow to start, but yielded an ex- 

 cellent forage for a long period. 

 It is adapted to soils that will 

 grow alfalfa. It is 

 very resistant to 

 drought and has been 

 recommended for arid 

 regions. It has given 

 fair results in parts 

 of the South, but its 

 real worth has not 

 been established. 



Hagy or Hagi 

 (Lespedeza Mcolor). 

 LeguminoscB. A 

 perennial forage 

 plant, introduced in 

 recent years from 

 Japan, that has some 

 promise for lands 

 where it is difficult 

 to get a catch of 

 clover, and on light, 

 dry soils. It grows 

 rapidly, sometimes 

 to a height of six 

 feet, and is leafy 

 and bushy. It is 

 planted in the spring, sprouts readily, flow- 

 ers late in summer and remains green until 

 killed by hard frost. Its usefulness is limited 

 somewhat by the fact that it becomes woody 

 soon after blooming. It has. small blue flow- 

 ers and produces a heavy crop of seeds. 

 Grown also for ornament. [See Fig. 1263, 

 Cyclopedia of American Horticulture.] 



Kidney vetch {AnthyUis Vulneraria). 

 LeguminoscB. Fig. 416. Perennial, with 

 spreading stems to a foot high ; whole plant 

 covered with short silky hairs ; flower-heads 

 in pairs at the ends of the branches ; flowers 

 small, yellow to a deep red. It is found 

 throughout Europe and western Asia, from 

 the Mediterranean to the arctic circle. It 

 grows where soil is poor, in limestone re- 

 gions. It was first cultivated by a German 

 peasant about fifty years ago. It has been reported 

 as of small value wherever tried in the United 

 States. [See Circular No. 6, Revised, page 7, Divi- 

 sion of Agrostology, United States Department of 

 Agriculture.] 



Krishum. Under this name the inhabitants of 

 Cashmere cultivate a leafy species of the blue-flag 

 genus for forage (Iris ensata, Thunb., var. pabu- 

 laria, Naudin, or Iris pabularia, Naudin). Figs. 

 417, 418. Seeds of this plant have been offered 

 for some year's by at least one American seedsman, 

 but it does not appear to have attracted much 

 attention. The plant is perfectly hardy and vigor- 

 ous at Ithaca, New York, on poor soil, but it has 

 not been tried for forage, being used as an inter- 



m 



I 



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fe4B 



Fig. 417. 

 Krishum {Iris 

 pabularia) . 



esting border plant. It makes a profusion of ribbed 

 grass-like leaves nearly or quite a half-inch wide, 

 reaching a height of two to three feet. The leaves 

 are said to afford hay and pasturage. It is a per- 

 ennial, the subterranean parts forming a tough 

 hard growth. The flowers are small, not 

 showy, lilaQ-blue. Krishum is said to thrive 

 in very dry places. 



Lentil (Lens escuknta). Leguminosce. . 

 Fig. 419. A much-branched, tufted annual, 

 one to one and 

 olia* one -half feet 



high. The leaves 

 have several 

 leaflets and end 

 I in a tendril. The 

 ^ flowers are 

 57=N small, white or 

 ^J pale blue, axil- 

 lary and borna in pairs. The pods 

 are short and broad, very flat, and 

 contain two flat seeds. The lentil is 

 a very ancient food plant, and ranks 

 among the most nutritious of vegetables 

 for human food. It is used 

 in Europe and somewhat in 

 the United States for fodder, 

 made from the vines. If the 

 plant is cut early in^its growth, 

 and is cured properly, it 

 is said to make a very 

 palatable stock food, es- 

 pecially for dairy cows. 

 It is of easy culture, re- 

 quiring no special care 

 between seed-time and 

 harvest. The seed may be 

 sown in drills one and 

 one-half to two feet apart, 

 in early spring, preferably on 

 warm, sandy soils of moderate 

 fertility. It is harvested when 

 the stems begin to turn yellow. 

 When the pods are dry the seed 

 may be beaten out with a flail. 

 The plant is hardy and prolific. 

 Mesquit (Prosopis juliflora). 

 Leguminosce. A small, spiny 

 shrub or tree which is the most 

 common woody plant of the 

 southwestern arid region. It is often 

 found in groves with a short trunk 

 much like an apple tree. It is very 

 valuable as a honey plant, as its 

 period of bloom extends over two 

 months. Its forage value lies in the 

 pulpy edible pods which are six to ten 

 inches long, containing about a dozen 

 hard seeds. The pods are very nutri- 

 tious, and are eaten by natives and 

 travelers as well as by stock. The 

 leaves, pods and bark are rich in 

 tannin. The seeds are said to be next 

 in value to barley for fattening horses, , .^'e-/\'- . 

 cattle, sheep and hogs. 'Z!^r 



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