12 BULLETIN 876, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
waving arms and flying seed. In using the rotary seeder the hairy- 
vetch seed is thrown a little farther than the rye, to counteract 
which it is well to sow half of the seed one way of the field and half 
the other. 
For sowing on grain stubble, corn stubble, or other unoccupied 
land, a regular grain drill is convenient. If the field has been kept 
free from weeds the only preparation needed is to disk the ground 
thoroughly and pack it with a corrugated roller. Some types of 
drills handle the mixed seed very satisfactorily, but in others the hairy 
vetch works to the bottom of the box, so, when these are used, the 
vetch must be sown separately with a broadcast seeder. 
RATE OF SEEDING. 
For the most profitable yield of seed it is important to sow the 
rye and hairy vetch at just the right rate and in the proper proportion. 
Too little or too much seed may mean the difference between profit 
and loss. The mistake most frequently made is to sow too heavily, 
under the impression that the heavier the seeding the greater will be 
the yield and profit. 
Heavy seeding is all right for hay or green-manure crops, but for 
seed production a relatively light seeding is desirable. In a thick 
stand, owing to the density of the foliage, the sunlight does not 
penetrate to the bottom of the mass of vines, and the blossoms on the 
upper branches are frequently the only ones that develop into pods. 
Even if pods are formed throughout the plant, the lower ones usually 
ripen before the ones above and shatter their seeds before the rest 
of the crop is ready to harvest. Unevenly ripened seeds are not 
uniform in color or size, some being large and black, while others are 
small and greenish. Such seed does not bring the top price on. the 
market and must be severely recleaned, which reduces the net yield 
by 30 or 40 percent. Ina stand that is full but open to the sunlight, 
the plants are likely to be uniformly covered with pods and the pods 
will ripen very nearly at the same time. 
Almost invariably a heavy stand of hairy vetch is badly tangled 
and lodged before the seed crop is ready to harvest. The extra cost 
of harvesting such a crop usually more than offsets any increase in 
yield that may be obtained. A heavy stand, furthermore, is more 
subject to injury from insects and diseases. 
Successful seed growers usually advise planting only as much 
hairy vetch as the rye will hold up without lodging. (Fig. 3.) The 
exact rate of seeding varies with the method used and the type of 
soil, and no rule can be given that will cover all circumstances. 
More seed is required for broadcasting than for drilling, and more is 
needed for late fall planting than for planting in August. Poor soil 
requires more seed than good soil, not only because there is likely 
