FIELD EXPERIMENTS. 



421 



VETCH. 



[II. Collected from Experimental Plats, Sept. 3, 1883, when fully matured.] 



II. 



[C] Serradella. 



( Ornithopus sativus. Brot. ) 



The serradella, like the vetch, is an annual leguminous 

 plant, which found its way from Portugal into central 

 Europe some fifty years ago. It grows from one foot to 

 one foot and one-half high, and prefers a moist, deep, sandy 

 soil. Time of seeding and mode of cultivation correspond 

 with those customary in the cultivation of peas. The 

 growth of the plant is slow until the time of blooming, when 

 it rapidly increases in size and nutritive constituents. The 

 close of the blooming period, at the end of August, is the 

 best time for cutting the crop. Leading agriculturists 

 speak very highly of this fodder plant. The field seeded 

 down broadcast on the 15th of May, 1884, produced a first 

 crop, blooming on the 22d of July. The plants, at that 

 period of their growth, contained in one hundred parts : — 



Moisture at 100° C, . 

 Vegetable Matter (dried), 



78.66 parts 

 21.34 " 



100.00 



