188 THE VETCH CROP. 



These two analyses the one of its organic, the other 

 of its inorganic constituents would show that while 

 vetches possess a high feeding value in their fresh or 

 green condition for cattle, they may be cultivated at a 

 very small expense to the soil in regard to its phosphatic 

 fertilizing ingredients, and thus compare equally favour- 

 ably with clover in their mineral requirements from the 

 soil. Their nutritive or feeding value is fully equal to 

 that of the best clovers. The bulk produced from the 

 same area of land is considerably in excess, while the time 

 they occupy the ground as a crop is much less, and gives 

 the farmer an opportunity of getting two crops from his 

 ground in the same season. 



The seed is very rarely used as an article of food. 

 Although we have no reliable analysis of its exact organic 

 composition, we may fairly class it with the seeds of our 

 other leguminous plants, whose composition is well known 

 to us. They all contain the nitrogenized compounds in 

 large proportions, and are extremely valuable for the 

 development of flesh and muscle in feeding and in working 

 animals. According to Levy, 1 vetch seed contains 2 -4 per 

 cent, of inorganic matters, which are thus constituted : 



Potash,... 30-37 



Soda, 9-81 



Lime, 476 



Magnesia, 8'45 



Peroxide of Iron, : "75 



Phosphoric acid, 37'82 



Sulphuric acid, 4*07 



Silica, 2-00 



Chloride of Sodium, 1-97 



100-00 

 1 Annalen der Chem, und Pharm., v. Liebig und Woehler, 1845, No. 6. 



