LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. Il5 



undue distension. But after a time the swine may 

 forage upon them at will. 



When foraging upon ripe peas the swine should 

 not have a larger area to feed upon than they can 

 consume within a reasonable time, otherwise the 

 peas may waste much, especially in showery weather. 

 The straw will, of course, be a total loss so far as 

 its food value may be concerned, and yet there are 

 areas where the lands are so cheap as to justify the 

 practice. The straw can be burned or plowed under. 

 In several of the Rocky mountain valleys, peas may 

 be grown as pasture for swine in conjunction with 

 alfalfa. The swine can be grown chiefly on alfalfa 

 and then finished on peas, and with great profit to 

 the grower. The swine gather the food for 

 themselves. 



Autumn pasture may also be furnished for 

 swine when moisture is present, by deferring the 

 burning of the straw or plowing the field so pas- 

 tured. The shelled peas that have been trodden into 

 the ground by the feet of the swine will quickly grow 

 up and furnish excellent green pasture. But such 

 pasture should not be sought for on stiff clays, lest 

 the pasturing should lead to serious impaction of 

 the land. 



THE COMMON VETCH. 



The common vetch (Vicia sativa) has not been 

 extensively grown on our continent, even where the 

 adaptation for it is all that could be desired. So 

 little attention has been given to it that its merits as 

 a food for live stock are understood and appreciated 

 by only a very small percentage of those engaged 

 in agriculture. 



