266 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



Crimson Glover. — The attempt has several times been made on the 

 Station grounds to grow crimson clover as a forage plant. It has been 

 sown usually in the fall or late summer. It has been usually either 

 entirely killed by the winter, or so far injured as to make it impracticable 

 to leave the remnants for harvest. On April 26th, 1896, ten pounds of 

 crimson clover seed was sown on the north east half acre of field 8. The 

 seed was sown with a grass seeder and harrowed in with a light slanting 

 tooth harrow. The plants were slow in making their appearance, but 

 by the 13th of May the ground was well covered. The early part of June 

 was warm and wet, facilitating its growth. The crop was cut with a 

 mower on the 24th of June and weighed, a sample being taken for the 

 determination of moisture. The yield of the half acre was 1,870 pounds, 

 containing 77.41 per cent of moisture. The yield of dry matter per acre 

 was, therefore, 844.87 pounds. The weather continuing moist and warm, 

 the crimson clover made a very rajjid second growth. When pastured 

 by sheep along with an adjacent field of rape, the latter was much pre- 

 ferred to the crimson clover, which, however, was pastured close after 

 the rape was exhausted. Notwithstanding this ill treatment, the crimson 

 clover withstood the winter well, and covered the ground with a green 

 coat in the spring of 1897. No feeding experiments were tried with 

 crimson clover hay. 



Vetches. — April 27, 1896, one-half acre was sown with a grain drill to 

 vetches and oats, 25 lbs. of vetches and 32 of oats being used. The oats 

 germinated much the more rapidly and hardly a plant of the vetch was 

 seen until the oats were harvested. The field notes record, under date 

 of June 9th, that the vetches were making but a poor growth as the oats 

 were far above them. On July 6th the oats and vetches were ready to 

 cut, the oats being fully headed and ready to turn. Because the vetches 

 had made such meager growth, however, the harvesting of the plot was 

 delayed to July 29th, when the oats were fully ripe. The crop was drawn 

 to the barn August 1st, when it weighed, in rather damp condition for 

 storing, 2,132 pounds. As soon as the oats were removed the vetches 

 began to show themselves. The field notes through August show that 

 they grew rapidly and completely covered the ground before the close 

 of that month. There was a severe frost on September 19th, which did 

 not injure the vetojaes, though it stopped the growth of the second crop 

 of sorghum on adjacent plots. The vetches were cut and fed to sheep, 

 which did not seem to like them and would not eat them until practically 

 forced to do so. The continuous rains made it impracticable to harvest 

 the vetches for hay, and no feeding experiments could therefore be con- 

 ducted during the winter with this crop. Where the heavy fall growth 

 was mown and removed the vetches withstood the winter and were green 

 in the spring of 1897, but where it was left on the ground the plants were 

 entirely smothered. The crop is worthy of further trial because, among 

 other reasons, it belongs to the great family of plants that have the 

 ability to utilize the nitrogen of the air. By the decay of its roots it leaves 

 in the soil available for other plants, a large amount of this most costly 

 manurial element which it has gathered during the period of its growth. 



Peas. — To supplement the pasture in case of drouth and to afford a 

 most excellent hav if not needed for summer feeding, it is the custom on 



