304 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Mar. 1. 



falfa. Alfalfa has been tested too long and too 

 faithfully to leave any hope that it may ever 

 prove to be a success with us, such as it is on 

 irrigated deserts. Now for the new find: 

 InjjMaule's last catalog we find the following: 



THE SENSATIONAL NEW FORAGE-PLANT. 



LATHYBUS SYLVESTRIS, OH FLAT PEA. 



Sold last treason in London at as high as $2.00 per 

 ounce packet. A.s tis inittitirr vahie is nearly 

 Uotiblc clover and (dfaffa, its value 

 for permannd pasture can- 

 readily be estimated. 



This new forage-plant has created quite a sensa- 

 tion at liome and abroad for tbe last year or two, 

 and has attracted the attention of distinguished 

 agriculturists the world over. If the claims made 

 for it are only lialf true, it is the most valuable 

 acquisition to forage-plants ever discovered. Some 

 of its points of excellence may be mentioned as fol- 

 lows: Its roots penetrate the soil 3U feet, which 

 enables it to withstand great extremes of cold and 

 drouth. It has double tlie feeding value of alfalfa, 

 a crop richer than red clover. Its feeding ratio is 

 1 to 4.5, wliich is richer than oats, with a ratio of 

 1 to 6.5. It is richer than the balanced ratios for 

 fattening cattle, and is rich enough for fattening 

 either hogs or sheep without any grain. It will last 

 5U years without manure and without re-seeding. 

 It will draw double the nitrogen from the air that 

 alfalfa or clover does, hence it is the most valuable 

 plant known for renovating worn-out soils. It will 

 cut S tons of hai' per acre in a season. When estab- 

 lished, a field of it will fatten hogs, without any 

 corn. Its jirowth is slow tlie first two years. The 

 plants grow very little above the ground the first 

 year, but the roots make rapid growth. The second 

 year the top thickens up, and the third year the 

 plant is matured. The seed requires several weeks 

 to germinate. 



CULTUKE.— Prepare a piece of clean ground by 

 deep plowing aud thoroughly working. Plant the 

 seed any time during the hrst summer months. 

 Either drill or scatter by the hand in drills 12 to 15 

 inches apart. One plant to tbe square foot is suffi- 

 cient when established, hence the seeding is light. 

 Keep the weeds down the first year. 



Well, what of it? Although Maule has given 

 us many good things, and although he is a 

 pretty straight man for a seedsman (I wonder 

 if I ought not to beg pardon of the good friends 

 who issue seed- catalogs, for that speech) — well, 

 making due allowance for an enterprising 

 seedsman who thinks he has got something 

 that will do to boom, let us look at it a little. 

 And, by the way, right after the above state- 

 ment he published a letter from the Michigan 

 Agricultural College. We all know these men 

 have no interest in selling seeds. I hope there 

 is not money enough in the United States to 

 bribe any one of the professors of our agricul- 

 tural colleges to help a seedsman or anybody 

 else to boom a thing unless it deserves it. I 

 read that letter from the Michigan station, and 

 I could not help believing that Maule hcul got 

 hold of something really valuable. Perhaps 

 saying the roots go down 30 feet is a little 

 strong. May be we had better knock olf, a half 

 or a third. I should have lots of enthusiasm, 

 even then. I at once wrote to the Agricultural 

 College at Lansing, asking a lot of questions. 

 Below is their reply: 



In reply to your favor of Jan. 26, regarding 

 Lathyrus sylvestrls, I would say that I have 

 no doubt that it will succeed in Ohio or almost 

 anywhere, as it seems to endure cold and severe 

 freezing, as also dry weather. It is quite slow 

 to start, and makes very light growth the first 

 year. Here on the college farm the seed was 

 sown in drills 30 inches apart, and was culti- 

 vated, and even hand-hoed the first year; but 

 the second year it grew enormously. It was 

 not tested for forag(> except to try a few forkfuls 

 in a green state, which cattle seemed to like— 

 at least, they ate it readily. We saved all the 



crop for seed, but it got too dry, and it is very 

 difficult to secu.'e under any circumstances. 

 We saved about 2.5 lbs. only, from the acre plat. 

 This, of course, would be a very good crop at 

 the rate per pound you quote. 'We have none 

 to sell. Ours cost .f.'i.OO per lb. when purchased. 

 We sowed the seed in early spring; sowed some 

 last fall to see how it would come. 



I do not know of any other trials, although I 

 think there have been a few on small plats. It 

 will be tested for forage this season by feeding 

 to stock. In Bulletin 101, which I send you. it 

 will be seen that it shows high feeding quality 

 by chemical analysis. It may not do as well 

 when the cattle analyze it. It came from Ger- 

 many or Austria, and is said to be a wild plant, 

 improved by cultivation. Why it has not been 

 " brought out " before, I do not know. It grows 

 well enough outside after it gets started, and 

 the transplanting is rather slow work. The 

 seed comes tip better if soaked in warm water 

 several hours. I. H. Buttekfield, Sec'y. 



Agricultural College, Mich., Jan. 31. 



The bulletins referred to in the above contain 

 a large amount of valuable matter in regard to 

 the plant. I read it very much as I first read 

 the story of Robinson Crusoe — yes, just about 

 as I read " Langstroth on the Hive and Honey- 

 bee " 2.5 years ago. Oh bow I do enjoy hunting 

 up and Hnding out all about these wonderful 

 new gifts— new to us at least— that God has in 

 mercy, kindness, and love, provided for us! I 

 presume you can get the above bulletin by 

 sending to Lansing. Please put in some stamps, 

 however, for I understand they are getting 

 many questions in regard to the new plant. I 

 confess I can hardly resist the temptation to 

 use space for quotations from the bulletin. A 

 kind letter from W. J. Green, of the Ohio Ex- 

 periment Station, bids me hold on a little and 

 wait until I am sure I am right; and I do not 

 know of a wiser man to advise in such matters, 

 in the whole wide world, than my good friend 

 Green. Here is his letter: 



Mr. Root: — We have had no experience with 

 Lathyrus sylvestrls. It has been tested lo a 

 limited extent by the Massachusetts, Colorado, 

 Florida, and Michigan stations, but none of 

 them have gone so far as to recommend it un- 

 qualifiedly in their reports. Analysis shows 

 that it has a high feeding value, and after it 

 gets once established it produces heavy crops; 

 but it has the very serious drawback of being 

 slow in starting, nor can it be harvested for 

 hay with any machinery that we now have. 

 I doubt very much whether it can find a place 

 in our system of agriculture; but this is only 

 an opinion. Farmers are averse to sowing beets, 

 carrots, or any thing else, that requires much 

 attention to get the young plants started, and 

 I think that one trial of Lathyrus will be 

 enough for most farmers. The first trial at 

 Michigan was a failure because the weeds 

 came up first and overran the young plants; 

 but they obviated this difficulty the next sea- 

 son by sowing turnip seed in the rows. I think 

 it ought to be recommended only in an experi- 

 mental way. It will need several years of trial 

 to determine its value. We shall probably give 

 it a trial next season. W. J. Gkken. 



Wooster, O., Jan. 30. 



All who feel interested as I do can start some 

 seeds right away— a five-cent package, if noth- 

 ing more. Thorburn offers the seed at 30 cts. an 

 ounce, or .?3.00 per lb. If you want only a five- 

 cent packet you had better order it of us, as no 

 other seedsman puts up so small a quantity, 

 that I know of. We can also furnish an ounce 

 at 30 cts. if you wish, or 1 lb. for $3.00, postpaid. 



