VETCHES. 
90 
I 
8 acres, part autumn and part spring sown ; they are 
mostly carted to the stable. 
At Mr. Knight’s, Lea Castle, Wolverley, vetches are 
regularly cultivated, and always with a view of carting 
to the stables; the present year, 1807, I there examined 
a piece of 10 acres, drill sown, mostly in the autumn, 
but part in the spring, the crop good ; two single-horse 
carts can at once draw enough for a night and a day’s 
consumption of twelve horses; which, in J uly, the stew¬ 
ard and I estimated to consume half an acre per 
week, at which rate 10 acres last twelve horses twenty 
weeks; they were drilled at nine months and hoed, 
and will be followed by vetches again; but Mr. Par¬ 
tridge, the steward, thinks, on their light land they are 
in general best followed by a fallow for turnips, 
I observed, about the middle of August, part of 
these vetches were cut for a crop of seed, they' having- 
run too ripe to be used as green food. 
Upon this subject of making vetches last the greatest 
length of time possible as green food, Mr. C. ob¬ 
serves, that the winter vetch early mown, that is at any 
time before being in full blossom, will, in its second 
shoot, or aftermath, continue green much longer than 
the spring sown vetch ; but after being in full blossom, 
the aftermath is not worth saving. The true system 
for extending their use is probably this, 1. manure, and 
sow early in September, to be ready for cutting the 
beginning of May ; 2. continue sowing in September 
for succession, and a few may be sown in spring for 
comparative experiment; 3 the second shoot of all 
those cut before the plant is in full blossom must be 
preserved for late use; but, when the full blossom is 
attained, the ground may be ploughed as the crop is 
cleared. Mr. C. thinks, that by judicious management 
upon 
