76 



special care, the plants self-sowing- the plat each season. It will grow 

 readil}' on poor sandy soils, but is most profitable as a forage plant on 

 rich and well-prepared land. Poor lands can be supplied with the 

 necessary plant food for the growth of other crops b}- growing hairy- 

 vetch for several years. It forms a mulch on the land all summer by 

 its matted growth, kills the weeds, and mellows the soil as much as any 

 hoed crop, without the labor required for the latter. 



Hairy vetch may be sown any time in the spring in the North, North- 

 west, and East, but for the South and Southwest it has been found 

 more successful to sow in the fall, some time in September or October. 

 It should be sown broadcast or with a grain drill at the rate of 1 to 11 

 bushels to the acre. The seed is yet quite expensive, which, to some 

 extent, prevents it from occupying a prominent place in American 

 agriculture. However, a number of our correspondents are reporting 

 the successful raising of seed, and it seems quite probable that this 

 country will soon be producing sufficient seed for its own use. 



Hairy vetch is eaten with relish by all kinds of stock. It is valuable 

 for soiling, ensilage, green manure, cover crop, and for hay, although 

 for the last-named purpose it is diflicult to cure on account of its dense 

 habit of growth. 



Excellent reports have been received in regard to its drought- 

 resisting qualities and its adaptability to our climate from Colorado, 

 Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, 

 Minnesota, Nebraska, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Penn- 

 sylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Wisconsin, District of 

 Columbia, and Mississippi. The seed was distributed to experimenters 

 in 40 difi'erent States, and reports have been received from 27 States. 

 Thirty-four packages of the seed of hairy vetch were distributed dur- 

 ing the fiscal year 1896-1897 ; 332 packages during 1897-98, and 98 

 packages during 1898-99, making a total of 161 packages since 1896. 



The request to the experimenters for a report as to their success or 

 failure was complied with by 206 farmers out of the 111 receiving 

 seed. Out of these, 86 resulted in failures, 43 were unsatisfactory, 

 and 76 reported having had good results, while 6 speak of it in the 

 very highest terms. 



The following reports from the various States will indicate its great 

 value throughout the country. In many instances only the salient 

 points are extracted from the reports, leaving out the kind of soil and 

 method of sowing and cultivation adopted: 



ARKANSAS. 



Mr. J. B. Nixon, Charleston, Franklin County: 



When sown by itself it is of a spreading nature, and to secure the best results 

 should be sown with wheat, or in the spring with oats, barley, or spring wheat. I 

 think it will ]>e an acquisition to the fora<ie plants here. It did not have a fair trial 

 last ..v-ason, owing to the excessive drought. 



