The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-01-15
VALUE OF vETCH.
A Readable Article by the Boys Of the
A. and N. College.
The Vioksburg Herald says;

INkA AAAAAAs " AA"Nh
article We reproduce today is Sus-
tanned by reasons 50 simple and
clear as to be within tho compre-
tension of all Only a few days
ago we heard one of the most sen
sible and successful of Washing
toE countys small farmers speak
of the great mistake planters
made in not sowing cotton lands
with winter forage plants. Not
only is the fine pasturage secured,
but as stated and demonstrated by
Prof. Welborn, it prevents plant
food from being washed
The Washington planter rererred
10 uses wi .inoer rye with the best
rasuirage results, and at mini
mum Of cost.
10 the Herald;
Il enclose an article recently
appearing in the college boys pa
per, the reflector fully en-
dorse all it contains, and could say
much more as to the merits of the
crop. | tried the vetch q few
years ago at Greenville, and found
it at its best in the Delta.
81 will be glad if you can copy
the article. Very truly.
"W. c. WELBORN,
Professor of Agriculture and
Superintendent of Farm. "
The Mississippi Agricultural and
Mechanical College Reflector says:
"a crop now grown extensively
by the farmer is winter turf oats and
hairy vetch combined, They grow
admirably together Last spring
a crop of about fifty acres excited
the admiration of all who saw it.
Forty bushels per acre was the
yield. As soon as the fall rains
begin, the oats and yetch that are
wasted at harvest time came up as
thick as can stand, and the fields
are now as green as wheat field
in May. In addition, another
hundred acres or more were sown,
and present Il sight beautiful to
behold.
"While other lands are being
washed by winter rains and the
soluble plant food leached away,
doubtless the available food in tho
land growing the green crop is
being held in the roots, stems and |
leaves of the green plants.
"Vetch, like peas, clover, and
a few other plants, has the power
TO feed on nitrogen from the air,
snd hence enriches Che &c aid Oats |
IRE exhaustive to the land There
fore, the vetch restores what the !
oats takes away When the peas
are grown on the land after har
vesting the crop of oats and vetch,
the land is very rapidly enriched.
mo crop yet found equals this
for winter and spring pasturage,
but, of course, heavy pasturing
of stiff land in wet weather should
be discouraged. No crops will
give more forage. Cut before
the oats and vetch will
give a fine yield of excellent hay.
The peas following on the same
land are also excellent for hay.
''We believe this crop will fur
lish the key to proper rotatiye
in Mississippi. How
'apidly a field would be enriched if
one year in cotton, next
rear in corn and peas, and the
bird year in oats and yetch, fol-
owed by peas; the oats and vetch
o be planted in tho fall soon after
he corn is harvested.
''But if not used in a systematic
the vetch affords US the
asy means of growing restora
i've crop on every foot of land on
he farm each winer, that will not
My save the plant food in the l
oil from being washed away, but l
ill also bring from the air the
aluable and costly nitrogen for u
le use Of future crops. So it is :.
to use it here. Il
Every acre of corn ground will
1t only be sown in peas the last q,
but will, 1t the same ;,
ne, have generous sprinkling
vetch seed. Experience has
own that about September, after
G peas are about matured, the n
tch viii come with unerring al
rtainty, aud hold tho fort against &c e.
manner Of tramping and graz N