The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1906-09-24

apart Drop four to six vetch seeds
every step. stepping on the seed. which
will often cover them suficiently Then
harrow. Insure self seeding OF the
vetch as previously directed, either by
very early or by very late cutting.
To carry out either of these plans
will require only about one half gallon
Of seed of hairy vetch. costing perhaps
forty cents, or a peck or more of bur
clover. costing about fifty cents.
still less expensive but slower meth
cd consists in opening a furrow on the
summit OF each terrace. fertilizing and
planting here hairy vetch. which, when
ripe. will scatter its seeds over strip
| about ten feet wide. After such par
tial re-seeding Of the land the field can
be treated as before indicated. It is
| to be hoped that the rapid opening Of
cotton will not wholly prevent farmers
| from taking thought for the morrow
! until 1t is again too late to begin this
inexpensive means of improving the
farm J. F. d.
Alfalfa ON johnson Grass Land.
have your letter of May 2. The usual
| experience Is that alfalfa sown on
johnson grass land is able to hold It's
own against johnson grass and some
even claim that the proportion of John
| son grass decreases. However, alfa1.
L
son grass The best time to sow John
son grass land to alfalfa Is in the fall,
| thus giving alfalfa the start of the
grass J. Ed.
Hairy vetch ON bermuda Sod.
The supply of our bulletin on hairy
vetch is exhausted In order to make
the most economical use of the expen-
sive vetch seed. IL will be necessary to
break the Bermuda sod or at least to
| scarrify 1t with scooter plow or disk
| harrow. It will require more seed on
Bermuda sod unless very thoroughly
prepared than on other land. or at least
one bushel per acre. 1t is very import
ant that the vetch seed bn inoculated.
J. r. d.
Raise Hairy or sand vetch For Seed.
Green manuring by COW peas. soy
beans, crimson clover and sand vetch,
has steadily grown In favor of late.
The seed of the first three can be
bought cheaply enough and in quantity.
But the seed of hairy vetch Is scarce
and high priced, and will continue to
be SO as long as we have to import IL;
no matter If II Is now admitted free
| from duty. There is no reason in the
world why we should import 1t from
| Germany; as good, IL not better seed
can be raised in the South, where II is
1 wanted most \ can Duy no BuCn SeeQ
| as md growing on every ditch bank
on my farm now. At one-fourth the
price 1t brings at present II would be
a fine money crop Tor Virginia farmers,
far ahead of corn, wheat, oats or pea
nuts. II good sand vetch seed could
be bought at such prices as we pay for
| soy beans or cow peas. there would be
a great demand for 1t. because sand
vetch can be made godsend to cot
ton planters. I can imagine no other
| plant to fit into cotton raising so well.
| Sown among the cotton at the time It
is laid by II will, after the land has be-
come inoculated, cover the land before
winter and thus stop soil washing. and
the teaching of nitrates. besides adding
combined nitrogen and the vegetable
matter to make humus. In fact. IL will
be an antidote to all evils OF cotton
raising. which are so destructive to
land Crimson clover would do nearly
as well, but It is extremely unreliable
on ordinary cotton soils. being so cas-
! lily killed by the hot sun and drought
Just after IL sprouts whereas hairy
yetch will stand almost any kind Of
weather. If 1t Is dry vetch seed won't
| sprout until there Is enough moisture
to carry 1t through. and very little
| of that seems enough. Hot weather
won't kill it. 1t sprouts in June July,
| and August, just as well as in March
or October. There Is not a plant on
the seedsman's catalogue that will
grow under such a variety of condi-
tions. 1t is winter plant. like rye.
and a summer plant. like corn. The land
once stocked with the seeds of hairy
| vetch will yield vetch plants as It
yields crab grass and cheat. The seeds
remain over IN the soil until a favor
able time comes, then they sprout. They
| do so any time from March to Novem-
| Der. Hairy vetch Is one of the most ro-
bust plants in existence. 1t will just
| suit the trough and tumble" condi-
| lions so common on the cotton planta-
1 ton. Given start It will almost
take care of itself. Sown among cot