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NEW YORK, JULY 30, HH *U(8«ARY 
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Vol. LXIX. No. 4057 
WEEKLY, $1.00 PER YEAR 
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HAIRY VETCH AS A COVER CROP. 
Very Useful in Southwest Michigan. 
A few years ago at Benton Harbor, Midi., the 
talked about Crimson clover and advised its use. 
told that this clover bad not proved equal to Hairy 
as a cover crop on the light soil of that 
section. A number of fruit growers stated 
that the vetch bad given them the greatest 
results of anything they bad ever tried. Mr. 
I!. A. Smythe, president of the Michigan 
Horticultural Society, lias prepared a paper 
oil vetch, and we give herewith Ids experi¬ 
ence and conclusions. 
From my own observations, and what 
I can gather from all the State and 
United States bulletins, there is nothing 
quite equal to the Hairy vetch as a ni¬ 
trogen gatherer and humus producer. 
The terms “Winter,” “Hairy” and 
“Sand” vetch are synonymous, but as 
the plant is covered with a fine hairy 
growth, it seems the term “Hairy vetch" 
is the most appropriate. There arc a 
score or more of different vetches, but 
only two varieties of value are grown in 
the United States, and of value in 
colder climates. Hairy vetch was first 
introduced into America from Europe 
in 1S47. It is a native of Western Asia ; 
at first it was thought of little value and 
received little attention, but later it be¬ 
came the subject of many experiments 
at the different experimental stations, 
and by private parties, both in the North 
and South. It was not long before its 
real value was determined, and now it 
has been cultivated for more than 15 
years, and is being more and more used. 
Ten years ago it was not heard of in 
our community, and five years ago I 
only knew of one or two other sowing 
it besides myself; this year I know one- 
person who sold a carload of seed in my 
immediate neighborhood. 1 have been 
growing it five years, and from the 
greatly improved condition of the soil 
I am convinced it is of the greatest 
value as a cover crop and soil rejuvena 
tor. My first experience with it was on 
a high sandy hill, where the sand blew 
badly, and where I found it difficult to 
get other cover crops to grow. 1 
planted it about the middle of August; 
it did not make a large growth that 
Fall, still, enough to hold the sand. It 
lived through the Winter and came out 
in line condition in the Spring; by the 
time we were ready to turn it under 
there was a covering on the ground that 
was really something to see. After it 
was plowed under, the soil spoke for 
itself, the color being several shades 
darker. We had set this piece of land 
with peach trees that Spring before we 
plowed the vetch under. The trees 
made a splendid growth and were in 
fine condition until we had a very heavy 
frost in October, which killed many of 
the young trees; this was in the Fall 
of 1906. The young trees that lived arc- 
now four years old and are in fine con¬ 
dition. 1 have been growing vetch every 
year on this same place. We have 
grown tomatoes and melons between 
the young peach trees, and they have 
always been a profitable crop, except 
when injured by the dry weather. 1 
always sow vetch seed when the melons 
and tomatoes are cultivated for the last 
est benefit in my grapes where vetch has grown ; the 
vines made a larger growth and produced more fruit, 
also of a finer and better quality. 
I believe that vetch is like all other leguminous crops : 
it grows better after the land has become inoculated. 
Every Spring it makes an enormous 
growth, many of the vines being 
from seven to 10 feel in length; 
it is a sight, and can be a terrible 
trial if you are delayed in plowing 
it under. I wish I could give you 
some idea of the amount of green 
manure vetch will make, and am safe 
in saying many tons. My entire farm 
is covered with it this Winter, and it 
never looked better. I have raised vetch 
where old trees are growing, and the 
trees are always much benefited; lin 
foliage becomes darker and the trees 
make a fine growth; others adjoining 
these (where no cover crop was grown) 
proved to me the value of vetch bcyoid 
a doubt. 
A piece of land that had lain idle for 
a number of years and which I had been 
advised to leave undisturbed, as it was 
of no apparent value, had been covered 
with a coarse grass, bittersweet vines, 
weeds, etc. 1 cleared up the piece and 
sowed it to vetch, which grew beauti¬ 
fully, and now 1 have young peach trees 
growing there that are doing finely. The 
first season the vetch made growth 
enough so that I pastured the cow on it 
during the Fall months without seem¬ 
ing to injure the crop in the least. 
The United States Department of 
Agriculture Bulletin No. 147 recom¬ 
mends planting vetch with Winter 
wheat or rye if it is to be used for a 
forage crop. It also says vetch can be 
cut up and used for hay, afterward 
plowing under the stubble, claiming 
that this will be worth as much to the 
soil as plowing under the entire crop. 
I think this statement can hardly be 
true, as the green crop turned under 
must be of greater value in adding 
humus to the soil. The Department of 
Agriculture recommends sowing from 
one to one and one-half bushel of vetch 
seed per acre, hut I find 40 pounds a 
great plenty, and 30 pounds if sown with 
wheat or rye. The seed is expensive, 
selling from seven to eight cents p<-r 
pound, and weighs about 60 pounds to 
the bushel. The seed is very hard and 
a little smaller than sweet pea, which U 
resembles. It can be planted deep, 
which is a decided advantage over, 
clover, as it does not kill out in case of 
dry weather. I have always sown the 
seed broadcast, and cultivated or disked 
it in. Vetch re-seeds itself, and the 
seed may lie dormant in the ground for 
several seasons before springing into life 
again, for this reason it is not advisable 
to rotate vetch on grain lands. 
I am indebted to a friend for the fol¬ 
lowing information which bears witness 
to what vetch can do. On May 17, 1905, 
lie measured a square yard eacli of 
vetch, Mammoth, Medium, and Crimson 
clover; he dug. cleaned and weighed 
each sample with the following result: 
The vetch Weighed 12 pounds, Mammoth 
clover 11 pounds, Medium clover 10 
time. We do this also on orchard and vineyard lands. 
When we planted melons and tomatoes on land where 
vetch had been plowed under, we found they did much 
better than on lands where we only fertilized with 
vetch sheep and barnyard manures. I have found the great- 
A PL \NT OF VETCH AT BENTON HARBOR, MICH. Fig. 
On .Inn - 17 it Weighed l)-j Pounds and Covered an Area of (1 feet. 
R. A. SMYTHE OF MICHIGAN AND A VETCH PLANT. Fig. 318. 
