Grains and Forage Crops 127 



ties without irrigation? Will fall seeding the same as wheat produce a 

 seed crop? Will sand vetch grow on soil having one-half of one per cent 

 alkali? 



Most of the vetches grow well in the California valleys during 

 the rainy season; the common vetch, Vicia sativa, and the hairy 

 vetch, Vicia hirsuta, are giving best results. The proper time to 

 plant is at the beginning of the rainy season. They will stand some 

 alkali, especially during the rainy season, when it is likely to be 

 distributed by the downward movement of water, but it is very easy 

 to find land which has too much alkali for them. These plants seed 

 well in some parts of the valley, but a local trial must be made to 

 give you definite information. 



Growing Vetch for Hay. 



How many pounds of vetch seed should be sozcii to the acre? How 

 many tons per acre in the crop? As I desire to change my crop, having 

 to some extent exhausted the soil with oats, how advisable Zi'ill it he 

 to sozi.' zvheat zvith the vetch to give it something to climb on? If so, 

 and zvheat is not desirable tinder the circumstances, zvhat? In using 

 vetch for horse fodder, hozu much barley should be fed zvith it per day 

 for a driving horse? For a draught horse? Is vetch sozvn and har- 

 vested at about the same time as other crops? 



Except in very frosty places, vetch can be sown after the rain 

 begins at about 40 to 60 pounds of seed to the acre. The yield will 

 depend upon the land and on the moisture supply, and cannot be 

 prophesied. One grower reports three tons of hay per acre near 

 Napa. If the land usually yields a good hay crop, it should yield 

 a greater weight of vetch. In mowing for hay purposes it is desirable 

 to raise the vetch off the ground to facilitate the action of the mower. 

 Oats would be better than wheat, because rather quicker in winter 

 growth. If the vetch is to be fed green, rye is a good grain, but 

 not good for hay purposes because of the hardness of the stem. There 

 is no particular difference in the plant-food requirements of the dif- 

 ferent grains, so that there is nothing gained in that way in the choice 

 of wheat. In feeding a combined vetch and barley hay, the ration is 

 balanced; the feeding of grain would not be necessary, except in case 

 of hard work under the same conditions grain is usually fed to horses 

 and in about the same amounts. Vetch requires a longer season 

 than ordinary oat or barley hay crop to make a larger growth, con- 

 sequently an early sowing is desirable. 



Cover Crop in Hop Yard. 



Will you please give information concerning cozv peas or the most 

 suitable crop to sozv in a hop field for zvinter grotvth, to be plozved under 

 as a fertiliser in the spring? Also, zvould it injure the vines to be cut 

 down before they die, so as to sozv the mulch crop soon as possible after 

 the hops are gathered? 



Cow peas would not do for the use which you propose, because 

 they would be speedily killed by frost on low lands, usually chosen 



