25O FARM CROPS 



It is planted in rows about 4 feet apart with the 

 plants 2 or 3 feet apart in rows. About 4 quarts of 

 seed to the acre is the customary seeding. As its 

 best work is to build up the soil it makes an excel- 

 lent crop to precede corn or cotton. Sometimes 

 corn and velvet beans are planted together. A few 

 cultivations should be given the crop after planting 

 to keep the weeds down and to conserve the mois- 

 ture. The vines grow rapidly, and soon shade the 

 ground and smother out weeds, but the cultivation 

 makes the soil more agreeable to the crop. 



In harvesting the mowing machine is best. The 

 tangled condition of the crop and its immensity 

 make it difficult to cure. It is cured very much 

 like cowpea hay or clover hay, only it is many 

 times more troublesome. These curing difficulties 

 lead most people to graze the crop with cattle and 

 hogs and to plow the wasted part under for the soil 

 improvement effect. If cured as hay, from 3 to 4 

 tons are ordinarily secured from each acre. An 

 average yield of seed is about 35 bushels. As a 

 stock food the velvet bean stands high. The pro- 

 tein content is large. When fed carbonaceous feeds 

 like corn, cassava and bulky foods should be pro- 

 vided also. Its best use is as a cover crop and as 

 a soil renovator. In regions where it can be grown 

 it has few equals and no superiors. 



VELVET GRASS. Often called a weed, this 

 plant is used for pasture and hay along the Pacific 

 coast. It flowers early in the spring and attains 

 a height of from 20 to 30 inches. As a forage it is 

 not very appetizing, but is nutritious. It is a ready 

 grower, preferring soils possessed of considerable 

 organic matter. In seeding about 20 pounds are 

 required to the acre and the soil should be prepared 



