The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-08-28
EXPERIENCE WITH VETCIl


"' "oih With marry NetCl, especially
what my yield Of seed was per acre.
promised him that | would do So
but upon thinking the matter over
| concluded that the results were so
very gratifying that it might he well
10 wait another year for feal that
successive crops would prove disap-
pointing. And it is we'll that | did,
for results this year from the grain
end Of it were exceedingly disap-
pointing. but the yield Of hay was
tremendous
Last year l threshed the hay from
seven acres and secured $500
pounds of seed or 500 pounds per
acre. This year my yield was less
than 200 pounds and the quality not
so good. Last year, tho, my yield
to the acre (the season was very dry
while this year on the same quality
or land 1T ran at least a ton better.
The growth was so rank in places
that it came over my horses back.
| had a few shocks of corn that were
left until spring as We did not care
to damage the grain by running the
wagon over it and these shocks were
completely hidden by the vetch.
AS 20 sowing the grain, my re-
suits are not in accord with those
of most writers. In seeding on good
land / would use the same quantity
Of oats or wheat that / would use if
/ did not intend putting in the vetch
and would then add rs pounds to 40
pounds of vetch seed. My experience
has been that light seeding of oats
would not support the vetch and it
would fall down and cause you to
lose a large portion Of your crop. 1
have yet to find the kind of land that
will not grow vetch successfully al
ways provided you inoculate for it.
have been growing vetch for a
number Of years but never take In
new field without inoculating be-
fore sowing. The best form Of in.
oculation is from soil where the
vetch has been grown. have made
complete failures without inocula-
ton on fields adjacent to the ones
that had been growing vetch. The
soil can be put down by hand or in
the fertilizer part Of grain distrib-
utor. 1 have used distributor run
ming one time to cotton rows and
secured sufficient inoculation to in
oculate 1-2 foot row. Ihave a
friend that puts his soil, seed and
everything through the fertilizer
part OF his grain drill, but i have
never attempted this. 1 never seed
vetch after October 20, and never
use any but the hairy.
We are running a three-year ro-
tation, the farm being divided into
three great fields, the rotation be-
ing cotton, corn, oats and vetch fol-
lowed by peas. This year is the first
that cotton has come since the ro-
tation begun. We have cut out nj
trogen entirely upon 60 per cent of
our cotton, only using it where the
soil was badly worn. The cotton is
growing off fine and is now tapping
in four-foot rows. There are fields
adjacent where the owner has sim
ply run all cotton that will not av-
erage one-third the size and he has
used a complete fertil zer. With
another round OF the rotation 1 will
cut out all nitorgen on my corn. /
have found it more profitable to
grow vetch and oats than cotton,
and at the same time the improve
ment to my soil is simply wonderful.
Anyone that will follow this rota-
ton will be able to cut down more
than half of his fertilizer bill We
expect to use ground phosphate rock
this fan.
Where soil is used for inoculation
it must be kept out of the sun and
covered as soon as put on field.
I would be ungrateful in conclu-
sion did l not give credit to A.
G. Smith of the Bureau Of Farm
Management of the United States De-
parment OF Agriculture for my sue
cess. The Department is willing to
assist anyone that is really inter-
eSted.
Alex d. Hudson.
New berry, S. G.
Editorial Comment
In later letter Mr.. Hudson
says: Il read Mr.. Smiths article on
At %