THE HAIRY VETCH. 



AFTER seeing the hairy vetch grown. in 

 a small way for two or three years, I 

 have concluded that it is bound to become 

 one of the most important of our legumi- 

 nous crops. In this latitude it may be sown 

 in September or October, and cut for hay 

 in May, thus giving ample time to follow it 

 with a corn crop. I cannot say how much 

 hay it will yield per acre, as practically all 

 with which I have dealt has been saved for 

 seed ; but I do know that it woll grow four 

 to five feet high on good land, and this 

 means that it will yield enough to merit at- 

 tention. 



Analyses of the plant show that it is very 

 rich in protein, and anything that will help 

 to balance the usual excess of the corbon- 

 aceous elements in our rations is undoubt- 

 edly needed by most farmers. For hay, it 

 should be cut when in full bloom. If sown 

 alone it will be hard to handle, but when 

 sown with equal parts of wheat or oats, it ^s 

 readily managed. 



As a cover crop it is especially valuable, 

 furnishing pasture in both fall and spring, 

 and adding large quantities of nitrogen to 

 the soil. Some soils, it is said, must be in- 

 oculated with the bacteria which produce 

 the nodules on its roots before the vetch will 

 grow well; but in my experience this has 

 never been necessary. It grows well on a 

 variety of soils and under widely different 



conditions. It seems to be far less particu- 

 lar in this respect than crimson clover. 

 Where a few seeds were dropped in a pas- 

 ture, they came up and grew readily ; and 

 the Arkansas Experiment Station recom- 

 mends it for sowing on Bermuda sods, the 

 two furnishing pasture nearly all the 

 year. 



Owing to the high price of the seed ct 

 present, most farmers will probably find 't 

 unprofitable except for seed. We sow it at 

 the rate of one-half to one bushel per acre. 

 It is cut when the bulk of the seed seems 

 ripe, and threshed in an ordinary grain 

 thresher. It will yield from 6 to lo bushels 

 per acre; and the latter figure may be ex- 

 ceeded on good lands. If the seed is 

 wanted pure, it must be sown alone ; but this 

 means some extra labor in handling. It 

 will reseed itself when allowed to ripen, one 

 piece of land which was sown only once hav- 

 ing produced two crops of vetch and one of 

 corn, and having a good stand of vetch 

 growing on it at present. 



In all the southern half of the country, 

 winter cover crops are a necessity if the land 

 is to be improved, and for this purpose I 

 know of nothing better than hairy vetch. 

 This, together with its value for hay and 

 pasture, is my reason for the opinion with 

 which I began this paper. — Country Gen- 

 tleman. 



HOW TO HANG A HAMMOCK. 



THE ideal way to hang a hammock is 

 to place it six and a quarter feet 

 from the ground at the head, and three and 

 three quarters at the foot. The rope that 

 secures the head should measure about one 



foot (it is better to be less), and at the foot 

 about five times that. The object of this 

 is to keep the head comfortable, by being 

 nearly stationary, while the lower part of 

 the hammock will swing freely. 



