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34 



TESTEB FAIRM SEED^ 



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SAND or WINTER 



VETCH 



(Vicia 

 villos: 



la) 



Succeeds on Soils of the Lowest Fertility 

 THE BEST LEGUME FOR SANDY SOILS 



Remains Green All Winter, 

 Furnishing Abundant 



Pasturage 



Although Sand Vetch succeeds, and even produces good crops on poor sanclj^ 

 soils, it is, naturallj', more vigorous on better land. Under such conditions the 

 plant produces numerous branches 3 to 6 fset long. Both leaves and branches 

 are covered with fine hairs, hence it is sometimes called "Hairy Vetch.'.' The 

 seeds are black, smnl! in size, and when t'ae crop is not pastured too closely, the 

 ripened pods burst open and re-seed the field. Sand Vetch is hardy all over the 

 United States, and in most places remains green all winter. The crop maj' be 

 seeded, either from the middle of August to the middle of September, or in the 

 spring from the middle of April to the middle of May. 



Sown in the full it should be mixed with Mammoth Red Clover or Hye to serve 

 as a support for the vines, thus keeping the forage off the ground. 



If sown in the spring it may be mixed with Oats or Barley. Fall sown crops 

 furnish some forage before winter' comes, and as growth starts very early in the 

 spring it can be pastured, cut for hay, or turned under to reno\'ate the soU'. 



For Pasture 



Sand Vetch is also of great value for the pasture it furnishes, as well 

 as for hay. It is as rich and nutritious a fodder as Alfalfa, Clover or 

 Cow Peas, forms au excellent food for gi'owing animals, and encourages 

 milk production. 



All stock relish it, whether fed as green forage or cured liay, and it 

 may be f(;d to them with perfect safety. Sand Vetch is decidedlj^ the 

 best forage crop to grow in the Northern states, instead of Scarlet Clover, 

 which winter kills in those latitudes. Every dairyman and stockbreeder 

 in the United States should grow this valuable crop, for there is no doubt 

 that once they try it, tliey will never be another season without it. 



As a Hay Crop 



Sand Vetch is the earliest crop for cutting, being at least a month 

 earlier than Scarlet Clover, so that it is possible to harvest a full crop 

 of Vetches, and yet have the land ready in time for spring crops. It 

 is especially valuable in the South and in dry western regions, as it may 

 be sown in the fall, making a luxuriant growth during the fall and 

 spring months, yielding a hea^'y crop, which can be cut and stored 

 before drought sets in. Sand Vetch sown at the Colorado Experiment 

 Station, Jvme 10th in rows 40 inches apart, using 30 pounds of seed per 

 acre jaelded 3 >! tons of cured hay per acre. The field was afterwards 

 turned into pasture, which was greatly relished by both horses and 

 cattle. 



As a Soil Enricher 



As its name would imply, there is no plant that succeeds better 

 on poor, .sandy, or other soils low .in fertility, and it is undoubtedly 

 the best legume for enriching such lands, ha\'ing the power of accumu- 

 lating large quantities of nitrogen in the soil. Although succeeding 

 on such soils without fertilizer, the Alabama Experiment Station found 

 it profitable to add 240 pounds of acid phosphate and 40 pounds of 

 muriate of potash per acre when grown on such lands. 



As a Cover Crop 



The foremost orchardists highly recommend Sand Vetch as a cover 

 crop. Soluble plant food in porous soils leaches away in considerable 

 amounts during the late fall and early spring, when the roots of trees 

 are not actively foraging for it. Especially is this the case on loose 

 sloping lands which often suffer severely from erosion. Fertilizing 

 elements wliieh would otherwise be wasted are caught by the cover crop, 

 and when it is plowed under and rotted become available food for the 

 trees in the spring. 



Owing to the fact that it grows late in the fall, and to its ability to 

 live over winter. Sand Vetch is certainly the best cover crop for orchards. 

 (See engraving.) 



Sow one bushel per acre, wdth one-half bushel of Rye or Wheat. 



Price, 25c. per lb.; $13.75 per bushel of 60 lbs.; 190 Ihs., S32 00. 



For SPRING VETCHES or TARES (Vicia sativa^ see page 38 



