Incidental Plants. Figs. The main forage crops are treated elsewhere in this Cyclopedia, in their proper alphabetical order. (here are many incidental and littl,grown plants sometimes mentioned in connection with forage and rotation discussions that may be brought together here.
Bird's-foot clover, Bird's-foot trefoil, Yellow trefoil (Lotus corniculatus). Leguminosm. A peren nial clover-like plant with a long taproot, stems spreading, from a few inches to two feet long, with clusters of five to ten bright yellow flowers on the ends of the stems. It is widely spread in the Old World and naturalized in this country, espe cially in the South, where cattle and sheep eat it readily. It withstands drought and may be sown in mixtures in dry pastures. It does well on light, sterile soils, and roots deeply. It begins to grow early, and is chiefly valuable as a spring pasture.
Broom sedge. A name applied to several spe cies of Andropogon or Beard-grass, especially to Andropogon Virginicus, which is common in sandy soil from eastern Massachusetts to Virginia, Illi nois and southward. Stock eat this grass readily when it is young, and it furnishes pasturage during the season. When fields are left without culti vation for a time, it becomes one of the worst weeds.
Buffalo pea. A name given to Astragalus eras sicarpus (Leguminoscc), which grows throughout the Mississippi valley. The straggling stems pro duce many fleshy pods two-thirds of an inch in diam eter, which are relished by hogs, sheep and cattle. The pods appear early in the spring and reach full size the last of April in southern Texas and by June in North Dakota. Successful attempts to cultivate this plant are not on record.
Burnet (Poterium Sanguisorba). A deeply root ing perennial herb of the rose family about a foot high, with alternate leaves and small flowers in a dense head. It is a native of limestone regions in central and southern Europe and temperate Rus sian Asia, where it is used for pasture. Early in the last century it was highly recommended in this country for the same purpose, but it is seldom seen in cultivation at present. It is fairly hardy and somewhat drought-resistant in places. It is not very palatable, and is a weak grower. It is adapted to dry, sandy and calcareous soils. It may be sown in April and again in September in mixtures. It is seeded at the rate of thirty pounds to the acre.
The leaves are sometimes used in flavoring soups and other dishes.
(Cicer arietinum). Legununosce. Fig. 414. Also called Gram, Garbanzo, Idaho pea, Chuna, Bengal grain. A native in Europe, and little cultivated here. It is much grown in south ern Europe, Asia and Mexico for its seeds, which are used for cattle food and also as human food. It is a branching annual, growing two feet high, as a bushy, hairy plant. Many upright stems rise from the same root. The leaves have several pairs of small, roundish or oblong leaflets ; the flowers are white or reddish, small, single and axillary, on short stalks. The seed is roundish, flattened on the sides, with a projection on one side. The plant matures in about ninety days, and yields little green stuff. The herbage contains a poisonous secretion that renders it unfit for stock feed.
The seed is sown at the rate of thirty to fifty pounds per acre, depending on whether it is drilled or broadcasted. It is planted late in the spring. There are several varieties, adapted to a wide range of soils ; a loam soil is best. It is better adapted to arid and semi-arid regions than to humid. It is very sensitive to cold, and likes plenty of sun during its growing period. It is valuable as a nitrogen-gatherer, and the seeds are useful for horse, cattle, sheep and poultry feeding. Under the name of chuna a variety was introduced in the Southwest to be used as a substitute for coffee. The chick-pea is used as an adulterant of coffee.
Chinese yam (Dioscorea glabra). Dioscoreacem. This plant was introduced into this country as s substitute for the potato soon after the rot threat ened the extermination of the potato. For a while it was cultivated. It forms a long, club-shaped root two to three feet long, being largest at the 1.5wer end. The plant is propagated from small bulblets or tubers that are produced in the axils of the leaves, or from cuttings of the upper part of the root. On a rich loamy soil, the yield of these tubers may exceed fifty bushels per acre. Animals are fond of the herbage, and hogs relish the small tubers that lie on the ground uninjured through moderate winters. In France it is sometimes culti vated by sowing the bulblets broadcast. The roots are extremely brittle, and being largest below they are difficult and expensive to dig. At present it is seldom grown except as an ornamental vine.