76 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 



If cowpeas are cut for hay, the hay should be left in the 

 cock for a week, and longer if the weather is not very dry. 

 A good plan is to let the hay stay in the windrow a day, 

 before it is put in the cock. Cowpea and soy bean hay dries 

 very slowly, because of the thick stem. For this reason it 

 is unsatisfactory to take the hay direct from the windrow 

 to the mow or stack. The growing of cowpeas or soy beans 

 on land is a good preparation for the growing of alfalfa. 



VETCHES 



Vetch has a very important place in the building up and 

 renovating of the depleted soils of the East and Southeast. 

 It often paves the way for successful alfalfa growing on soils 

 that are too poor to grow alfalfa at the start. Vetch is not 

 much grown on the black prairie soils of the Corn Belt. It 

 is our opinion that other legumes are more effective than this 

 annual in maintaining the productivity of prairie soils. 



Culture: Vetch may be sown either broadcast or by drill- 

 ing. Drilling is the more modern method. It may be sown 

 alone or with one of the small grains as a supporting crop. 

 In the Southern states a winter vetch is sown in the fall, 

 either in September or October. Hairy vetch is the favorite 

 in the North. In the spring it may be sown as early as the 

 ground can be gotten in shape. The seed is sown at the 

 rate of one bushel per acre. It is necessary to inoculate some 

 soils in order to grow vetch successfully. 



ALFALFA 



Alfalfa is fast becoming a popular crop in the Corn Belt. 

 Its splendid hay qualities are rapidly pushing it into public 

 favor. We took a great deal of pains to put in eight acres 

 of alfalfa and later results showed that it deserved all the 

 attention it received. From this eight acre field we cut three 



