This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892 Excerpt: ...be grown upon the land and turned in. This has been previously discussed in Chapter II., and it has been shown that plants of the pea and bean tribe (leguminosce) are preferable for this purpose. When leguminous crops are grown and turned in, there is, as has been said, a gain of nitrogen; there is no actual gain in ...
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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1892 Excerpt: ...be grown upon the land and turned in. This has been previously discussed in Chapter II., and it has been shown that plants of the pea and bean tribe (leguminosce) are preferable for this purpose. When leguminous crops are grown and turned in, there is, as has been said, a gain of nitrogen; there is no actual gain in potash, phosphates, and other mineral matters, though this treatment will bring up mineral matters from below and deposit them near the surface in an available condition; hence green-dressing should be followed by a liberal manuring with the necessary mineral manures, potash, phosphates, and the like. Amongst the plants suitable for green-dressing may be mentioned the pigeon-pea (Cajanus indicus), woolly pyrol (Phaseoluts rnungo), Bengal bean. These plants take from three to six months to grow to sufficient size to be ploughed in; when they are sufficiently developed they are cut down and arranged in rows to enable the plough to open furrows; the green dressing is laid in the furrows and covered with soil, the banks being raised over the green dressing. In some cases where the soil is in very bad condition it is often expedient to raise a green dressing on the banks between the canes, even after the canes are planted and while they are growing. This may be done by planting pigeon-peas, woolly pyrol, or the like, upon the banks as soon after their preparation as possible; the green crop then grows up with the cane, and, if it be carefully watched, will in no way interfere with the growth of the latter. When the green crop has grown as long as is considered prudent, it is cut down or pulled up and buried in the banks by the weeding gangs, who find very little difficulty in accomplishing this. By working in this manner even very stiff clay soils ma...
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