VETCHES AND VETCH-LIKE PLANTS 479 



feet. The seed habits are excellent, the plant producing 

 numerous pods which shatter but little. Seed is grown 

 so cheaply that it has been imported into England from 

 Syria for stock feed. 



The seeds, however, are said, like those of species of 

 Lathyrus and Coronilla, to affect the nervous system and 

 finally cause paralysis. 



Ervil has succeeded admirably under California condi- 

 tions when sown in the fall. The crop makes a good 

 growth through the winter and for this reason is well 

 adapted for use as a cover crop in orchards. To secure a 

 good stand about 70 pounds of seed to an acre is needed. 



At the Puyallup, Washington Station, five plots of ervil 

 were planted in spring on clay uplands and yielded re- 

 spectively 7.5, 21.5, and 37.7 bushels seed to an acre; 

 one plot on alluvial clay yielded 36.6 bushels ; and one 

 on sandy loam 13.3 bushels to an acre. 



587. Narbonne vetch ( Vicia narbonnensis) is native to 

 the Mediterranean region of Europe, Asia and Africa. 

 In general appearance it is intermediate between common 

 vetch and the horse bean, having tendrils like the former 

 but resembling the latter in its thick foliage, which turns 

 black in drying. By some writers it has been considered 

 the wild original of the horse bean, but this view is not now 

 held. 



Its culture and requirements are essentially the same 

 as those of common vetch, excepting that it requires more 

 warmth for its best growth. It is cultivated for forage to 

 a small extent in southern Europe, but under American 

 conditions has found no place. 



588. The horse bean (Vicia f aba) in some of its varieties 

 at least, is also known as tick bean, field bean, pigeon 

 bean, broad bean, and Windsor bean. The last two names 



