LEGUMES FOR FORAGE 



191 



4 tons of corn or sorghum forage makes a satisfactory product. For 

 this purpose the soybeans and corn or sorghum may be mixed as en- 

 siled, or they may be grown together. In the South soybeans alone or 

 soybeans and corn are often grazed by hogs. For this purpose the 

 beans should be planted in rows to lessen the loss by tramping, and the 

 hogs should not be turned in until the pods are nearly mature. In 

 the northern states the chief value of soybeans is for sandy land or 

 as a catch crop when clover or other crops fail. 



Vetch.— Of the vetches, only the hairy or sand vetch, and the com- 

 mon vetch are important in the United States. Both are ordinarily 

 annuals, tho the hairy vetch especially may live more than a year. 





'Miir'ci 



Fig. 54. — Hairy Vetch and Rye in Virginia 



As liairy vetch has weak vines wliich grow from 4 to 10 feet in a tangled 

 mass, it is usually grown with the cereals for hay. (From U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture.) 



Being cool-weather plants, in mild climates they are usually sown in 

 the fall. While common vetch is killed by zero temperatures, hairy 

 vetch usually endures the winter in the northern states if well estab- 

 lished in the fall. Hairy vetch may be grown in poorer soil than its 

 relative and is markedly drought resistant. It is chiefly grown for 

 hay, being usually sown with the cereals, which support the weak 

 vines that grow from 4 to 10 feet in a tangled mass. Where the win- 

 ters are mild and the soil rich, common vetch is preferred, as the seed 



