1888.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 33. 137 



The vetch has already received considerable attention in 

 various sections of our country ; reports, thus far, speak 

 with much satisfaction of the results. The plant resembles, 

 in many respects, the common garden pea ; there are early 

 and late varieties in cultivation. Its period of vegetation is 

 from 18 to 22 weeks, and the time of seeding corresponds 

 to that of the pea. The common vetch is a hardier plant 

 than the latter, and grows well upon an inferior soil. Its 

 reputation as a valuable green fodder, either single or when 

 grown in common with rye, oats or barley, is well established. 



An equal number of both plants gives a richer green 

 fodder than the proportion we tried. 



SerradeTla (Ornithopus sativus, Brot.). — The area occu- 

 pied by this plant was 206 feet long b}'- 80 feet wide, and 

 belonged to a piece of land prepared in common with that 

 used for the cultivation of the varieties of wheat. 



The seed was sown in drills, three feet three inches apart, 

 May 25. The plants began to bloom July 12. The cutting 

 of the crop for green fodder commenced Sept. 2 ; from 200 

 to 300 pounds were used per day, as part of the feed for 

 three cows. The supply lasted until Sept. 26. The yield 

 on our field amounted to 7,300 pounds of green fodder, or 

 9^ tons per acre, with an average of from 18 to 20 per 

 cent, of dry vegetable matter. 



The serradella, like the vetch, is an annual leguminous 

 plant, which found its way from Portugal into Central 

 Europe some fifty years ago. It grows from one to one and 

 one-half feet high, and prefers a moist, deep, sandy soil. 

 Time of seeding and mode of cultivation correspond with 

 that customary in the cultivation of peas. The growth of 

 the plant is slow until the time of blooming, when it rapidly 

 increases in size and nutritive constituents. 



The close of the blooming period, at the end of August or 

 beginning of September, is with us the best time for cutting 

 the crop. Leading agriculturists speak very highly of this 

 fodder plant. 



Our results in the field and in our feeding experiments 

 (see "Feeding Experiment with Milch Cows, II.," in this 

 report) have been for several years very satisfactory. The 

 cows relish the serradella highly. 



