VETCHES 



127 



cover crops and soil improvers, and are becoming increas- 

 ingly popular in the North. 



Sowing the Seed. In the Northern States the common 

 vetch should be sown in early spring, alone or with oats or 

 other spring grain as a nurse crop, using about one and a 

 half bushels of seed per acre when sown alone, or from 

 a half to one bushel of seed when sown with a nurse crop. 



Fig. 70. A field of vetch ready to be plowed under for the benefit of the soil. 



The vetch seed can be mixed with the grain seeding and 

 thus can be sown with a broadcast seeder or a grain drill, 

 or it can be sown separately. If the vetch seed is sown 

 alone, the seeder or drill can be adjusted so as to sow the 

 proper amount. 



In most sections of the United States the hairy vetch is 

 sown in the late summer or early fall with rye as a nurse 

 crop. The rye prevents ' sandy land from drifting and 



