LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. II7 



ties are of a high order. They have special adapta- 

 tion for being grown along with other grain to 

 produce soihng food, and they may be made to ren- 

 der excellent service in providing pasture for live 

 stock, especially sheep and swine. But when grown 

 for hay, for soiling food or for pasture, vetches 

 should be sown with some cereal grain to sustain 

 them, because of their trailing habit of growth. 



Distribution. — The distribution of the common 

 vetch of the spring sub-variety is much the same as 

 that of the field pea. But since the vetch can endure 

 cold even better than the pea, the limit of its growth 

 for forage lies further north, and because of its abil- 

 ity to withstand cold, a crop of spring vetches can 

 be sown early enough in the Gulf states to be pas- 

 tured off or cut for soiling food in time to be fol- 

 lowed by some other crop. 



The common spring vetch, notwithstanding its 

 ability to withstand cold, has but little ability to 

 endure extreme heat, hence in climates with hot 

 summer temperatures it would seem to have no 

 mission as a forage plant unless in the springtime. 

 It would be ill adapted, therefore, to localities with 

 severe winters and hot summers, such as are found 

 in the upper Mississippi basin and the river basins 

 tributary to the upper Mississippi. And since the 

 winter vetch would be ready for grazing much ear- 

 lier in states with mild winters, it would seem to be 

 wiser, therefore, in these latitudes to grow the winter 

 rather than the spring sub-variety. 



Since the common spring vetch needs moist 

 weather as well as cool to perfect its growth, the 

 highest adaptation for this plant will probably be 

 found on the Pacific slopes of Oregon, Washington 



