120 The Principles of Fruit-growing 



the greatest advantage, especially in the middle and south- 

 ern states where the long seasons allow it to make a most 

 luxuriant and satisfactory growth. It is probably destined 

 to fill the office in the southern states that red clover fills 

 in the North, and, if properly used, can no doubt be made 

 the means of filling the burned-out soils of the South with 

 fresh life and vigor. It is killed by the earliest frost, and 

 is, therefore, not advisable at the North, unless sown 

 early or on land that is "quick." 



Vetch or tare (Vicia sativa) as a cover was brought 

 forward by the Cornell Station, in 1892. It is a legumi- 

 nous plant of strong growth. If sown in the northern states 

 in late July, it makes a dense cover that is killed by hard 

 frosts and mats down like a carpet before spring. The 

 seeds are large and start readily. Its great drawback is the 

 cost of the seed, and about thirty to fifty pounds should 

 be sown to the acre on open lands. 



Winter or hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) withstands the 

 winter and grows in spring. The seed is likely to be expen- 

 sive; thirty to fifty pounds are required to the acre. It 

 thrives on rather poor as well as on rich soils. 



Sweet clover or melilotus (Bokhara clover) is sometimes 

 mentioned as a cover-crop, particularly for hard and dry 

 lands and those on which it is difficult to secure a catch 

 of clover; but further experience is needed with this plant. 



Crimson or scarlet clover was brought prominently to 

 the fore as a cover-plant for orchards by the Delaware 

 Experiment Station in 1892. It is an excellent cover-crop 

 in the northern states, and in Nova Scotia (Sears, Kept. 

 N. S. Agric. 1904). It will not thrive on hard or poorly 

 tilled land. It must be sown in midsummer or a trifle 

 after, when the ground is likely to be dry. The seeds are 

 small and oily, and the grower is likely to fail in secur- 



