128 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



4-5 EDWARD VII., A. 1905 



results. These were sown in tliis way because it is sometimes difficult to get a good 

 * stand ' for a cover crop in tlie autumn by sowing about tlie middle of July and later, 

 owing to the dry weather which often occurs after seeding, delaying the germination 

 of the seed, and in the north it is very desirable to have the cover crop tall so that it- 

 will hold the snow. By sowing the seed in rows it can be sown comparatively earlj 

 and the soil cultivated between the rows when the plants come up, thus conserving 

 moisture and making sure of a good cover crop. Cultivation may be discontinued 

 about the middle of July or a little later. The Horse Beans sown on June 18, 1903, 

 were from 3 feet 6 inches to 4 feet in height on September 21, and it was estimated 

 that the green crop per acre was Y tons 753 pounds above ground and 2 tons 

 852 pounds of roots, or a total of 9 tons 1,585 pounds per a,cre, containing according to 

 the figures given by Mr. Frank T. Shutt, Chemist of the Experimental Farms, in his 

 report for 1903, 78 pounds of nitrogen as compared with 130 pounds from Mammoth 

 Red Clover, and 147 pounds from Hairy Vetch. These beans stood up well all winter, 

 holding the snow admirably, and by spring were still 2 to 2| feet in height. A land 

 roUer was put on as soon as the soil was in condition to work, and the beans were 

 rolled down. The disc harrow was then used and it was found that they broke up 

 readily; they were then cultivated in with a spring tooth cultivator. Owing to the 

 coarse nature of the stems they were noticed in the soil longer than clover or vetch, 

 but in a comparatively short time they decayed and gave practically no trouble. Horse 

 beans were again sown in drills this year on June 16, and were 3 feet 5 inches in height 

 when frozen. The advantage of Horse Beans is that they winter kill and are easily 

 worked under in the spring, while Hairy Vetch and Clover are more difficult to deal 

 with, and if left until late in the spring will take considerable moisture from the soiL 

 The disadvantage of the Horse Bean is that there is no mat of vegetation close to the 

 soil, and if there should be a winter without snow it might not prove as effective as Red 

 Clover or Hairy Vetch. In order to ensure a mat of vegetation which would cover the 

 ground in winter and which would be dead in the spring, rape was used in one part of the 

 orchard and it is believed that English; Horse beans and rape grown together will 

 prove one of the most satisfactory cover crops where they will succeed. The Horse 

 teans will furnish nitrogen and humus and will hold the snow welL The rape will 

 cover the ground, thus protecting the roots, and will also add humus. At Ottawa, 

 Horse beans sown during the last week of June at the rate of one bushel per acre in 

 drills 28 inches apart and cultivated two or three times, and rape sown broadcast 

 between the rows during the latter half of August should furnish a very satsfactory 

 combination. Both English Horse beans and rape are moisture-loving plants and will 

 not succeed as well in dry soils as they will where there is a fair amount of moisture 

 Where the Hairy Vetch is grown for seed, Horse beans sown in drills at the same t'lva-i 

 a«i the vetch should prove very useful the following season in holding up the vines, thus 

 insuring a larger crop of seed. At our suggestion, one grower tried it this year and 

 is favourably impressed with this method. 



Hairy Vetcli. — The Hairy Vetch was used quite largely in the orchards at the Cent- 

 ral Experimental Farm in 1903, and was sown again this year, both alone and broad*- 

 cast and also with Horse Beans to form a mat on the ground, and has been found 

 oatisfactory for this purpose, but owing to the difficulty of ploughing under, rape 

 would appear to be more suitable. The Hairy Vetch is a very rapid grower and will 

 continue to grow until almost winter, as light frosts have apparently little effect iipon 

 it. It forms a thick mat on the ground, making a perfect mulch and an ideal cover 

 for preventing the thawing and freezing of the ground and protecting the roots of the 

 trees. It will not hold the snow as well as the taller plants, but will 

 probably be found as a rule satisfactory enough in that respect. It is 

 quite rich in nitrogen, being more so than the Mammoth Red or Common Red 

 clovers. The great disadvantage of the Hairy Vetch is the difficulty in ploughing it 

 under where it lives over the winter. Sown broadcast, from 30 to 40 lbs. per acre is 



