754: Grasses and Leguminous Crops in New York 



as high as the oats. Ordinarily the plants flower when the oats are 

 ripe but not mature seed. In seasons of abundant rainfall and 

 delayed harvest, some plants may reach maturity and die during 

 the winter. Any vetch among the oat straw manifestly makes the 

 straw more valuable for feeding. If it is planned to cut the crop 

 for hay or to cut and feed green, the amount of vetch seed used 

 should be greater than above recommended for the reason that 

 a maximum amount of vetch is desirable. 



After the oats are harvested the vetch continues to grow, and 

 frequently, before winter, covers the stubble and seeding with long, 

 trailing vines. Some claim that this fall growth materially pro- 

 tects the seeding from winterkilling. The following season the 

 vetch, being winter-hardy, grows with the clover and grasses and 

 here reaches it maximum growth. Thus, in practice in this state, 

 hairy vetch appears tO' gTow nearly as large the first season as 

 does the common vetch, and in addition supplements the new seed- 

 ing crop the following year, after which it disappears. 



FEEDING VALUE 



According to analyses,* winter vetch leads all other legumes in 

 protein content as indicated in the following table:. 



Nitrogen 

 Dry fodder Water Ash Protein Fiber free extract Fat 



Vetch 11.3 7.9 17.0 25.4 36.1 2.5 



Alfalfa 8.4 7.4 14.3 25.0 42.7 2.2 



Eed Clover 15.3 6.2 12.3 24.8 38.1 3.3 



Wheat Bran 11.9 5.8 15.4 9.0 53.9 4.0 



This being true, it would seem to indicate that vetch has not 

 been given adequate attention as a forage crop. 



WINTER VETCH AS A SEED CROP 



Growing winter vetch for seed has not yet assumed large pro- 

 portions in this state, although the plants appear to set seed 

 abundantly. In general, when vetch is grown for seed it is gi'own 

 in combination with winter rye or wheat and is seeded at the rate 

 of 20 to 30 pounds of vetch witli 1 peck to 3 pecks of w'heat or 

 rye per acre. The time of seeding varies from August 25 to 



* Jordan : The Feedmg of Animals, p. 423. 



