' r>vr'Tiv 
,\'M 
Vol. LXX. No. 4087. 
NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 25, 1911. 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
EXPERIENCES WITH THE USE OF HAIRY 
VETCH FOR COVER CROPS. 
Vicia Villosa as a Cover Crop for Tobacco Lands. 
Readers of The R. N.-Y. may recall an article by 
the writer published about two years ago, on the use 
of Hairy vetch for cover crop purposes. Since that 
time I have had considerable further experimental 
evidence and a greater field of observation in the study 
of this subject. The important uses of this crop for 
been secured by tne Office of Seed and Plant Intro¬ 
duction from Russia. Several experimental plots 
were planted, located in different sections of the 
Connecticut Valley The seed was sown on the to¬ 
bacco lands after the tobacco crop had been harvested, 
and covered by the use of disk and smoothing har¬ 
rows. A good stand was secured of all of the 
species of legumes tested, as the season was favor¬ 
able, and all of the plots entered the Winter in fine 
condition. In the following Spring, after the snows 
at the usual time, about May 15, and it was found 
then that the roots of the Plairy vetch plants were 
simply covered with small white nodules. The fine 
roots had permeated all through the soil turned by 
the plow, so that the nodules when exposed looked 
as though the soil had been sprinkled with ashes, or 
lime, or some white fertilizing substance. 
Little seed was secured from the plants sown for 
this purpose, as the plants crawling on the moist 
ground were favorably located for the growth of 
VETCH USED AS A COVER CROP IN A CALIFORNIA ORCHARD. 
cover-crops, not only for tobacco lands, but for corn¬ 
fields and orchards, and its recent extensive use for 
these purposes, has led the writer to attempt a brief 
account of his observations along this line. 
The possibility and desirability of securing a satis¬ 
factory legume for tobacco land cover-crop purposes 
.was suggested by Dr. B. T. Galloway, Chief of the 
Bureau of Plant Industry, in a visit to the writer’s 
tobacco breeding experimental fields at Granby,- Conn., 
in the Fall of 1903. A large number of legumes 
were tested for this purpose, amongst which occurred 
Hairy vetch, Vicia villosa, the seed of which had 
had departed, the ground thawed and became warmed 
by the sun, it was found that of all the seeds tested 
only the Hairy vetch had survived the severe Winter. 
In the case of the Hairy vetch only about 25 per cent 
of the plants had resisted the Winter conditions. 
These plants began to grow with the first Spring 
days, and in a short time spread out over the ground, 
so as to make almost a complete covering. 
Two of the plots, located where conditions had been 
most severe, were not plowed that Spring, but allowed 
to stand so that if possible seed could be harvested 
from these hardy plants. The other plots were plowed 
fungus diseases or molds which caused the flowers 
and seed pods to drop off before the seeds ripened. 
Enough seed was saved in each case, however, to sow 
an acre the following season. The experience of the 
first season, and correspondance with foreign seed 
growers, taught us that it would be desirable to sow 
rye or some supporting crop with this seed. It was 
found that when growm with rye, about 10 bushels of 
vetch seed and about 15 bushels of rye seed could be 
harvested per acre. Since that time we have found 
that it is possible to increase this yield by more ex¬ 
perienced seedings. The rye and vetch plants for 
