CROTALARIA 



The crotalaria are coarse -stemmed, upright legumes usually grown 

 as summer annuals, although some species are short -lived perennials. This 

 legume group is grown in the southern part of North Carolina and in South 

 Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. The 

 crotalaria make their best growth on well-drained, light sandy soils but they 

 also grow well on acid soils of low fertility. They are used principally as a 

 cover crop although some species have value as forage. All species are 

 noted for their resistance to root -knot nematodes. Showy crotalaria (C. 

 spectabilis) and Sunn ( C. juncea ) contain monocrotaline, an alkaloid that is 

 toxic to livestock. However, few cases of crotalaria poisoning have been 

 reported. 



CROWN VETCH 



Crown vetch is the common name of a legume which belongs to a differ- 

 ent family than hairy, common, or purple vetch. It is grown in Pennsylvania 

 on the lighter and poorer soils, and along road embankments and waterways. 

 It is a good conservation crop since it forms a deep vegetative mat. Live- 

 stock find it unpalatable. Seed stocks are very limited. 



FIELD PEAS 



Field peas are annual legumes grown in most of the States. Cool 

 weather in some part of the year is necessary for proper growth, and 

 abundant rainfall is essential to maximum production. Fair yields are ob- 

 tained in the cool, semiarid regions. 



Field peas are grown in the summer for seed, hay, silage, and pasture 

 in the northern States from New York westward to Washington and Oregon. 

 They are grown in the winter as cover or green manure crops in Virginia, 

 Tennessee, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and States to the south, and in 

 western Washington and Oregon. They prefer well-drained clay loams. 



Austrian winter peas yield large quantities of green manure on 

 soils supplied with adequate amounts of phosphorus. The forage is 

 succulent and decays quickly and the root system is extensive, thus 

 providing the soil with large amounts of humus. The plant is less 

 winter hardy than hairy vetch but is adapted to the Southeastern 

 States. Seeds germinate quickly, and good stands are usually ob- 

 tained. It is used in rotations with cotton and corn, and is also 

 planted in orchards to supply plant food to the growing trees. Austrian 

 winter peas are susceptible to leaf spot, leaf blotch, bacterial blight, 

 powdery mildew, black stem, stem rot, and root rot. 



Romack is earlier and more productive than Austrian winter peas 

 but is slightly less winter hardy. It is subject to the same diseases 

 that attack Austrian winter peas, but it is more resistant to root rot. 

 It is best adapted to southern parts of South Carolina, Georgia, 

 Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, and to Florida. 



Dixie Wonder is a very early maturing variety that is even less 

 winter hardy than Romack. Its area of adaptation is slightly farther 

 south than Romack. Seed supply is somewhat limited. 



- 24 - 



