Evening Republican, Volume 19, Number 53, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 March 1915 — TWO SUBSTITUTES FOR CLOVER ARE SUGGESTED [ARTICLE]

TWO SUBSTITUTES FOR CLOVER ARE SUGGESTED

Purdue Bulletin Says Cowpeas and Soy Beans Are Valuable As Fertiliser. Lafayette, Ind., March 2.—An instructive bulletin, presenting the value of soy beans and cowpeas as substitutes for clover, has been issued by the experiment station of Purdue university under the direction of A. T. Wiancko, chief in soils and crops. The bulletin also deals with the varieties and cultural methods applied to the substitute crops. As a result of the experiments conducted on the university farms, it has been found that the soil preparation for soy beans or cowpeas should be much the same as for corn. The crop may be planted with a corn planter, narrowing the rows to three feet if possible, and drilling the seeds about two inches apart in the row, which will equire abqut half bushel of seed to the acre, o<‘a wheat drill may be used, using every fifth drill hole for planting in rows for cutlivation. On clean gound, where weeds are not likely to be troublesome, drilling solid without subsequent cultivation may be practiced. In this case a bushel or seed to the acre should be used.

For cowpeas special inoculation is seldom needed in this state, but wherever soy beans are grown for the first time it is almost sure to be required. The inoculation process is very simple. Thoroughly mix about a gallon of moist, screened, inoculated soil with every bushel of seed as it is put into the drill or planter box. If seed is obtainable directly from farmers, a gallon of sceened soil from the soy behn field should be demanded with every bushel of seed bought Most farmers selling seed are prepared to supply screened soil. Planting should be done right after the best time to plant corn but both of these crops will stand much alter planting if necessary, except in the case of late varieties intended for seed production. Southern seed should be avoided, as they are too late maturing for this state. It will pay well to drill with the seed about 150 pounds of a fertilizer containing 10 to 12 per cent of phosphoric add and 4 to 6 per cent of potash.

For soybean hay production, Sable, Peking, Jet, Black Beauty or Wilson are all good. Ito San and Early Brown will make good hay, but they do not make as large growth. Hollybrook and Mikado may also be used but the stems are coarser and the quality of the hay will not be. as fine. The crop should be cut when the pods are about half grown, put up in small cocks as soon as thoroughly wilter and permitted to stand for several days to cure before hauling. For cowpea hay the Whippoorwill, Clay, Iron and New Era are all good. The Blackeye and Black are less productive for hay. Cowpeas should not be cut for hay until the first pods have turned yellow otherwise the crop should be treated the same as soybeans.

For seed production in northern Indiana Ito San or Early Brown should be used, he seed crop should be cut when the majority of the pods are ripe and about half the leaves have fallen off.