Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1898-01-28
Aarifultnral.
Cow Peas and SOFA Beans.

There are two crops TO which attention
is being directed, and which have been
overlooked by farmers in this section
COW peas and sofa beans There are
several varieties Of them, and it is pos
sible that it may be necessary to exper-
iment some before the kinds best suited
of either will be found for the particu-
lar farm upon which they are grown
1t is not that the farmers will be able
, - grow more of the peas and beans
they will of corn, or that they will
'argcr profit, but they will assist
ing not only variety but
hagenous food, while at the
eene6ting the soil to GER
wh ns they belong to the legu-
sn;. Of plants, the same as
yer. SHw peas have been grown
Ii excellent success ia New Jersey,
the sofa bean is even harder. In
Northern States the black variety of
ea-sometimes known as niger
been preferred, but there are
varieties, and no doubt those -four
best in the South will also do
mere (among them the Wonderful, }
as they seem to thrive on any land that
will produce corn. The sofa bean con-
tains more portein and fat than the COW
pea, but is not so well known. One Of
the advantages with both crops is that
the vines are highly relished by cattle,
and where crops are grown and hogs
turned 10 to do the harvesting the re-
suits have been very satisfactory and
the land improved.
cow PEAS AND CORN.
Cow peas may be broadcasted, and as
they grow rapidly will soon cover the
ground. They are bushy in growth and
stand up firmly. If cut for ensilage,
just when the pods are forming, they
make cheap and valuable addition to
the contents of the silo, or may be
plowed under as . green manural crop
The vines will grow to the height Of
from two to four feet, according to the
quality of the soil, but they also grow
on very poor land, frequent expression
in the South, when referring to a piece
Of poor land, being that at will not
grow COW peas" inferriug that any kind
OF land should produce such crop even
when no other can be grown. In Vir-
ginia, after the corn is ''laid BY" COW
peas are then planted between the rows
as ''catch crOp;" but they do not seem
to affect the corn crop in any manner,
and two crops (corn and peas) are thus
secured the same season. The same
can be done in this section, or the peas
may planted separately and cultivated
There is no market of consequence for
COW peas, but a market is unnecessary if
they arc fed to stock. Like clover, they
have the ability to utilize the free nitro
gen of the air and assist in adding
nitrogen to the soil. The pods may be
picked of the vines by hand, when
dried, and on the field, or the vines
may be pulled up, stacked and failed
on the barn floor later on.
SOFA BEANS.
The sofa bean has but few beans in a
pod, while the COW pea (Which is really
bean) may have dozen but the sofa
bean has many more pods than the COW
pea. The sofa bean grows from two to
four feet and ripens about the LIST of o.
tober but If the vines are preferred for
hay they may be cut down about the
latter part of August. As much as 40
bushels per acre have been grown on
good land under favorable conditions.
There are several varieties, some being
dwarf and others what are termed man.
moth, but the latter goes mostly to vine
The sofa bean is quite hardy, and can
stand slight touch of frost, but the
COW pea thrives only under the climatic
conditions favorable for garden beans.
1t is better to procure seed grown in
the North, if possible. as seed from very
far South is liable to produce more vine
than seeds. The growing of two crops
widens the farmers privileges by giving
him two crops rich in seed and vine,
and Of qualities that serve to assist him
in winter when variety may be neces-
sity in order to keep the stock in thrifty
condition. Canada has made peas a
leading crop tor years and greatly to
her advantage. With COW peas and sofa |
beaus our farmers can grow better foods |
with no additional expense than for
Drain crons