76 PRACTICAL CORN CULTURE 
If cowpeas are cut for hay, the hay should be left in the 
cock for a week, and longer if the weather is not very dry. 
A good plan is to let the hay stay in the windrow a day, 
before it is put in the cock. Cowpea and soy bean hay dries 
very slowly, because of the thick stem. For this reason it 
is unsatisfactory to take the hay direct from the windrow 
to the mow or stack. The growing of cowpeas or soy beans 
on land is a good preparation for the growing of alfalfa. 
VETCHES 
Vetch has a very important place in the building up and 
renovating of the depleted soils of the East and Southeast. 
It often paves the way for successful alfalfa growing on soils 
that are too poor to grow alfalfa at the start. Vetch is not 
much grown on the black prairie soils of the Corn Belt. It 
is our opinion that other legumes are more effective than this 
annual in maintaining the productivity of prairie soils. 
Culture: Vetch may be sown either broadeast or by drill- 
ing. Drilling is the more modern method. It may be sown 
alone or with one of the small grains as a supporting erop. 
In the Southern states a winter veteh is sown in the fall, 
either in September or October. Hairy vetch is the favorite 
in the North. In the spring it may be sown as early as the 
ground can be gotten in shape. The seed is sown at the 
rate of one bushel per acre. It is necessary to inoculate some 
soils in order to grow vetch successfully. 
ALFALFA 
Alfalfa is fast becoming a popular crop in the Corn Belt. 
Its splendid hay qualities are rapidly pushing it into publie 
favor. We took a great deal of pains to put in eight aeres 
of alfalfa and later results showed that it deserved all the 
attention it received. From this eight acre field we cut three 
