224 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE, 



reddish drab color. Prussian Blue is a fine variety and with Canada Beauty offers 

 two rank growing sorts with vines averaging 11 feet in length. The vines con- 

 tinued to grow and blossom late in the season and thus interfered with the curing 

 of the lower ripe pods. The Canada Beauty is slower in ripening owing to the 

 extremely large size of the peas. Both varieties ought to be good for forage on 

 account of their large yield of straw. They were not cut for forage, however, 

 but were allowed to mature and were harvested, Wh'te Wonder and Early Britain 

 September 2d and Prussian Blue and Canada Beauty September 14th to 16th. 

 The yields were from 29 to 38 bushels of ripe peas per acre. 



In 1902 along with the Imperial Blue and Canada Beauty three other sorts of 

 peas, namely, the Black Eyed Marrowfat, the Scottish and the Egyptian Mummy 

 were tested. They all yielded abundant weight of straw due to the unusual length 

 of the vines, for these reasons it has been somewhat difficult to cure the crop 

 heretofore and the Scottish variety was tested with the expectation that it would 

 prove an exception to ihe general rule. The expectation was not fuUy realized 

 although the vines averaged SV^ feet in length while those of the other varieties 

 averaged lOVo feet While the fivorable clim-^te may partially account for such 

 rank growth, the main reason seems to be that every plant was found at harvest 

 time to have upon its roots numbers of characteristic tubercles al] of a laree size 

 and many exceeding % inches in diameter. The function of these tubercles is 

 well known and through the micro-oreanisms resident in these nodules is the plant 

 furnished with abundance of nitrogenous food. While this excess of vegetation 

 may make the crop difficult to cure, the farmer of the Uune^ Peninsula can rely 

 upon this crop and barley for food for his stock while he bides the time when 

 the removal of the forest will afford the proper climatic conditions for corn and 

 the wise selection of the seed will demonstrate the proper variety to make the 

 growing of that truly American foraee crop possible and profitable in this region. 



Of the five sorts tested, the Marrowfat, Canada Beauty and Prussian Blue yielded 

 41 bushels to the acre. The Scottish and Egyptian Mummy were planted two 

 weeks later than the other sorts which may account for thpir lesser yields, 22.66 

 and 34.66 bushels per acre respectively. Of the straw the Black Eyed Marrowfat 

 returned 4,100 pounds, the Scottish 3,780 pounds per acre. 



VETCHES. 



Two varieties of spring vetch and one of winter vetch were tested in 1901. 

 Vetches should be sown with rye, oats, barley or snring wheat in order to allow 

 the plants to climb, the vetches having stems which end in tendrils. Sown alone 

 as they were at the Station, they were difficult to mow. No matter how planted 

 the question of curing the hay will always remain a difficult one The winter 

 vetch covers the ground more rapidly than spring vetch, but like the latter is well 

 adapted to northern latitudes and to light soils. The vetches were cut when past 

 full blossoming stage and when the seed and nod were fully formed. Of cured 

 hay the winter vetch gave per acre approximately 4,373 pounds, while the spring 

 vetch yielded slightly less than 3,000 pounds per acre. Both were sown May 25th. 

 The spring vetch blossomed July 22d and was cut Ausrust 14th, the length of 

 vines being 36 inches. The winter vetch did not blossom until August 5th and 

 was harvested August 31st, the length of the vines being 72 inches. 



In 1902 the spring vetch was tested mainly for the purpose of finding out whether 

 the seed would successfully ripen in the latitude of the Station. Seed was broad- 

 casted May 30th. The plants began to blossom July 11th and were harvested 

 September 15th yielding seed at the rate of 920 pounds per acre with 5,400 pounds 

 of straw. It would seem, therefore, that spring vetch ought to prove a profitable 

 crop; first, because it is a legume gathering part of its n'tro°:en from the air, 

 second, because it produces a good yield of high priced seed and third, because 

 of the high feeding value of the hay. The main objections to the vetch are the 

 danger of becoming a weed and the trailing habit making the curing of the hay 

 difficult and, if the season is bad, impossible. For this reason some cereal like 

 oats or wheat should be grown with the vetches. On May 30th one plot was sown 

 with clear vetch and the second plot with a mixture of one-fourth spring wheat 

 to three-quarters vetch. On the wheat and vetch plot the blossoms appeared July 

 8th, while on the plot of clover they were not apparent until July 13th. Both 

 plots were cut August llth and although the yield of wheat and vetch was nearly 

 53% larger the hay cured in a much shorter time. The yields of hay were, per 

 acre, 3.400 pounds for the clear vetch and 5,200 pounds for the wheat and vetch. 



