IMPROVEMENT OF THE SOIL 67 



soil. It produces an even better forage than crimson 

 clover and as a soil-improving plant it is unexcelled. 

 The only objection to it is the rather high cost of 

 seed. When once established on the land it, how- 

 ever, reseeds itself freely. The seeds lie dormant dur- 

 ing the summer, but germinate on the approach of cool 

 weather in the fall. As a cover crop for orchards it is 

 exceedingly valuable, since it covers the ground and 

 prevents washing during the winter and furnishes 

 much valuable fertilizing material, while at the same 

 time allowing of free cultivation during the summer. 

 It can also be utilized in corn and cotton fields, but 

 it is necessary that these crops be planted a little late 

 in order to allow for the ripening of the vetch seed in 

 the spring. Soil inoculation is usually necessary with 

 vetch, since most Southern soils do not contain its 

 specific organism. Unfortunately the tubercle bac- 

 teria of vetch and clover are not identical, and the 

 fact that the soil is inoculated for the one will not 

 help it to grow the other. The pods of vetch are often 

 freely attacked by the cotton-boll worm and this has 

 prevented the profitable production of vetch seed in 

 the Southern states. It will be seen that crimson 

 clover and vetch fill much the same part in the farm 

 economy, each being winter-growing legumes of about 

 equal value as cover crops, as forage, and for green 

 manuring. The vetch, however, will thrive under 

 a wider range of soil conditions and has the great ad- 

 vantage of reseeding the land. There is no more 

 rapid and effective method of improving exhausted 

 Southern lands than by planting vetch in the fall 

 and following this with corn and cowpeas in the 



