17G BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



sometime in July ; it takes a little time to get hold, get 

 rooted, and unless pretty well rooted, isn't certain of going 

 through the winter. A little bit of experience may be of 

 interest as to chickweed. The best farmer, I think, taking 

 everything into consideration, that I have ever met, is a 

 gentleman in Concord, Mass., who raises a great deal of 

 asparagus, and my ideas in thorough farming were a good 

 deal shocked in going out with him and seeing his asparagus 

 fields covered with the densest mass of chickweed, — I pre- 

 sume quite a number of tons per acre. I made some re- 

 mark about it, and he said : "I don't care anything about 

 that ; I rather like it ; it furnishes humus, protects the soil 

 in the winter and keeps the frost from going down deep, 

 which is the important feature with asparagus, and it doesn't 

 make any trouble next spring ; I like to see it grow ; the 

 more I get of it, the better." 



Mr. FoRSYTHE (of Westfield). I put in some Russian 

 vetch last3^ear, but it was put in a little late, and some came 

 up and some didn't. I had a fairly good stand in the fall ; 

 it was up about an inch and a half or two inches above the 

 ground, but this spring a good deal was killed, lying on top 

 of the ground ; but I noticed after a little while it came on, 

 and when I plowed for tobacco it was blossomed all over the 

 lot; but I think a good many of the plants died, but more, 

 that weren't up, came along later in the spring before I 

 plowed. 



Question. When did you plow? 



Mr. FoRSYTHE. I plowed a short time before putting in 

 my tobacco, — about the middle of May, I should think. 

 Russian vetch makes a splendid feed for cows when turned 

 out on it in April and early May. 



Dr. Jenkins. Some of our farmers get it in about the 

 middle of August, and it grows several inches high before 

 winter, almost completely covering the ground ; and winter 

 before last, which was very severe, the vetch came through 

 better than rye, which winter-killed considerably. Where 

 it comes through, it makes a splendid cover-crop, because it 

 holds the land down and rots very quickly when it is turned 

 under in the spring. Rye you have to watch and tiu-n under 



