24 OKCHAKD GEEEN-MANUKE CROPS IN CALIFORNIA. 



makes less growth during the winter season than the common vetch^ 

 and this has prevented its larger use for green manuring. Extensive 

 experimental tests in comparison with common vetch, as well as 

 practical tests made by orchardists, show the same results. 



While hairy vetch does not make a good winter growth, when the 

 warmer weather of the latter part of winter and early spring comes, 

 it makes a very vigorous start and, if left to develop fully, a heavier 

 growth than common vetch. It also stands more dry weather without 

 injury, and where a late spring crop is wanted it is very desirable. 

 The handling of the crop is the same as with common vetch. From 

 45 to 50 pounds of seed per acre should be used in seeding. 



INDIAN MELILOT. 



Indian melilot {Melilotus indica) is quite common in waste places 

 throughout the orchard sections of southern California and for a 

 number of years has received some attention as a green-manure 

 crop. However, it has never been used except in a very limited or 

 experimental way, and this experience indicates that it has but 

 very little value in orchard work in California. 



The winter growth of melilot is about like that of bur clover, and, 

 like that crop, its best growth is not made until too late in the 

 winter to be turned under in February. The only place in California 

 where melilot seems likeh' to prove at all valuable is on the very 

 sandy soils, to which it is quite well adapted and on which it is often 

 hard to get a stand of other green-manure crops. 



SUMMER GREEN-MANURE CROPS. 



The question is sometimes asked whether it is advisable to grow a 

 summer green-manure crop as well as a winter crop, thus enabling 

 one to add two crops a year to the soil instead of one. Where water 

 for irrigation is available there is no difficulty in doing this. How- 

 ever, the practice is not to be advised except under very exceptional 

 conditions. The enormous quantity of water used by a green-manure 

 crop in its growth makes it decidedly objectionable for summer use 

 in an orchard, where all the water available is usually needed for the 

 orchard crop. 



The growing of a summer green-manure crop also necessitates the 

 discontinuance of cultivation of the soil, which except on the most 

 open soils would be more or less detrimental if continued for a long 

 period. There may be instances, however, where it is desirable to 

 build a soil up as rapidly as possible. In such cases a summer green- 

 manure crop may be used to advantage. For this purpose the 

 Whippoorwill variety of cowpea has been found the best of any crop 

 tested. 



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