Текст 14

MAIZE

Maize originated in America and very soon after the discovery of the New World spread very widely throughout Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia. In Britain even the earliest varieties have been found to ripen seed only in the warmer years and in the sunniest and hottest districts but continuous progress in the direction of earlier maturity is being made in the northern United States and Canada, and new strains are being tested in the south of England.

The sweet varieties are grown on a small scale for table purposes and some of these can produce ripe seed in the south-east of England. In Britain maize is one of the minor forage crops¹ for use in the late summer.

With a more extensive and deeper rooting system than the other cereals, maize requires deeper ploughing, cultivations and seed-beds to obtain maximum growth. Autumn ploughing is advisable on stronger soils and it may be left until the early spring when textures are light. Cultivations which follow should be to a depth of 4-5 inches. They kill the weeds after germination; inter-row cultivation can follow crop emergence to obtain further weed control. Chemical means are often preferred.

Maize grows best on warm, fertile loams, but when well manured it produces good crops on light soils, provided that these are of fair depth. Light soils have the advantage of warmth and earliness;² on clays it often fails to reach the best stage of maturity.

The minimum temperature for germination of the seed is higher than that required for the general crop plants, and if sown in cold soil the seed will rot.

After sowing, the crop is harrowed to suppress weeds. If sown thinly there is no need for singling. The maize grows rapidly and a good crop soon checks weeds by shading.

Notes

1. minor crop — другорядна культура

2. earliness — скоростиглість

Завдання до тексту 14

I. Знайдіть еквіваленти словосполучень:

ранні сорти, глибша оранка, міжрядна обробка, боротьба з бур’янами, проростання

ІІ. Знайдіть зайве слово:

1. Harrowing, rolling, interesting, cultivating, watering.

2. To grow, to sow, to drill, to transplant, to customers.

3. Sugar-beet, carrots, maize, turnip, celery, parsley.

4. Air, water, sunlight, soil, nutrients, row, fertilizers.

5. A hectare, an acre, a bushel.

ІІІ. Вставте потрібне слово: means, weeds, sweet, fertile, singling.

1. The … varieties are grown for table purposes.

2. If sown thinly there is no need for ….

3. Best yields of maize are achieved on warm … loams.

4. Cultivations help to control ….

5. Chemical … of weed control are often preferred.

Текст15

ALFALFA

In America alfalfa is often called "the queen of forages" because it is usually considered to be the best of the forage crops grown. It has become the most important forage crop because: (a) it is highly productive, (b) it is high in digestible nutrients, and (c) it increases the nitrogen content of the soil. Alfalfa is the highest yielding hay crop we have. It grows best on deep, well-drained, fertile soils that are neutral or slightly alkaline. Shallow soils are unsuited because of alfalfa having an extensive tap root system that sometimes “penetrates” to the depth of 30 feet or more.

Alfalfa plant being highly sensitive to acidity, it is often difficult to obtain and maintain good stands of alfalfa on acid soils.

We know it to grow successfully under widely varying climatic conditions. Alfalfa requires considerable moisture for its growth, but due to its extensive root system it withstands dry weather and is extremely drought-resistant.

Thus, it is in reality adapted to hot dry climates not because of its having low water requirements, but because it has the ability to extend the root system to great depths in the soil to obtain the moisture required for growth.

Culture. Inoculation of alfalfa is a good practice in order to assure healthy, vigorous stands. Many consider it is necessary to inoculate the soil unless it is definitely known that the soil is well supplied with the proper bacteria.

A good seedbed for alfalfa is one that is firm, fine enough and free of weeds. A firm seedbed brings the seed and soil particles into closer contact, and under such conditions moisture is more readily available to the growing seedlings. Being very sensitive to acidity, alfalfa responds well to liming.

Alfalfa for Hay. To receive the highest yield of best quality hay, one should know the proper time alfalfa crop is to be cut.

The retention of leaves and a green colour are the two things most desired by hay producers. If all the leaves were lost from alfalfa, the yield would be reduced by about 50 per cent, for about 50 per cent of the weight of cut alfalfa consists of leaves.