OCR Text |
Show BIG VALUE OF THE LEGUMES Plowing Under of Green Manure Crops In Orchard Has Been Proven as Highly Justifiable. Investigations prove the high value of the common legume crops, whether used in rotation or as green manure crops. Results obtained from their use are far more striking In poor soils than in rich soils. Perhaps the safest rule to apply where there is a choice of two legumes is to use the one which gives the largest total yield per acre, or if these are about equal, to use the one whose seed is cheapest. The plowing under of green manure crops as a regular operation is seldom carried on except in orchards. In this case there can be but little doubt that the operation is highly profitable. With field crops the plowing under of a green manure crop is seldom justifiable justi-fiable except in the case of very poor lands or at considerable intervals, because be-cause ordinarily it is far more profitable profit-able to utilize the crop for feed and then to return the manure to the soil. There-are 16 important leguminous field crops used in the United States namely, red clover, alfalfa, cowpeas, alsike clover, crimson clover, white clover, soy beans, peanuts, Canada peas, hairy vetch, common vetch, velvet vel-vet beans, Japan clover, sweet clover, burr clover and beggar weed. |