216 THE AMERICAN FARMER. 







being cut, consequently this is regarded with less favor by agriculturists than the common 

 variety. 



Kidney Tetch (Anfhyllis vulneraria). This plant is said to grow in the poorest soil, 

 and is found in various parts of Europe and Asia. It is much relished by cattle and sheep. 

 It is grown as a forage-plant in France, Germany, and some parts of England, being culti 

 vated very much as clover is in some sections, that is, well harrowed into the oat or wheat 

 stubble soon after the harvest, to be ready for feeding in the following spring. It is quite 

 hardy and not easily exterminated by weeds, while as a forage-plant it possesses considerable 

 value. It should be cut just as it comes into bloom. This plant has not been cultivated in 

 the United States except by way of experiment, and the results have not been sufficiently 

 satisfactory to warrant its general cultivation for agricultural purposes. 



Vetch or Tare (Vitia sativa). Vetches of various kinds are cultivated as forage- 

 crops quite extensively, in many parts of Europe. This variety is considered the most valu 

 able by many. They are used green and much valued as food for horses, cattle, sheep, and 

 even hogs. An acre of good vetches fed in a yard or stable to avoid waste, will, according 

 to good authority, keep more horses than six acres of good pasturage. They also are valuable 

 for milch-cows, both in increasing the flow of milk and enriching it. They can be sown in 

 autumn or spring. The &quot; winter vetches &quot; should be sown in August if possible, in order to 

 obtain a supply of good green food by the first of May, and so fill up the gap between the 

 root-crops of the previous autumn and the summer food ; whether for grazing or soiling, it 

 is important, according to British agriculture, to have the crop ready for use at about that 

 time. The later sowing in autumn will, of course, render the crop later the following spring. 

 The land should be dry, well-sheltered, and enriched by deep plowing, and from twelve to fif 

 teen loads of barn -yard manure to the acre plowed in. It should then be well harrowed. 

 The seeds should be sown in drills, about a foot apart, about three and a half bushels per acre, 

 and covered rather deep to admit of the roots developing before the top-growth takes place. 

 As early in the spring as the state of the soil will admit, the crop should be hoed between the 

 drills, and a top-dressing of soot or guano applied at the rate of forty bushels of the former per 

 acre, or two hundred weight of the latter. The roller should then be used for the purpose of 

 smoothing the surface and pressing down the plants that have been loosened by the frost. 



By combining the winter and spring vetches, and making several sowings of each in its 

 season at intervals of two or three weeks, it is practicable to have them fit for use from May 

 to October and thus carry out a system of soiling by vetches alone, if desired. Some farmers 

 mix a half bushel of wheat or rye to the seed per acre, but this is not considered by some as 

 an advantage. Though cultivated to some extent in Canada, still, the dryer atmosphere of 

 our country renders the growth less luxuriant and profitable than in England. 



Spurry (Spergula arvensis). This plant is sometimes used for forage to advantage on 

 thin soils. It is cultivated extensively in Germany and some other portions of Europe for 

 this purpose, also for the valuable oil and oil-cake its seeds produce. 



It has been called &quot; the clover of poor soils,&quot; and it is stated of it, that if sown in March. 

 May, and July, and the three crops plowed in, to fit the poorest soil for clover production. It 

 is a native of both America and Europe, and is found growing spontaneously in the Middle 

 States. It is quite a hardy plant, and may be sown in the fall after a grain or early root 

 crop has been harvested, and plowed in the following spring. 



Three crops can be easily cultivated in a single season. Van Voght says, that by alter 

 nating these crops with rye, it will reclaim the worst sands, and yield nearly the same bene 

 fits if pastured off by cattle ; while it adds materially to the advantages of other manures, if 

 applied to the soil at the same time. It will grow on soils too poor for clover, but its roots 

 do not descend as deep into the soil as clover or lupine. 



