Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1898-02-22
COW PEA, THE NEGROES FRIEND

COW PEA, THE NEGROES FRIEND
A Vegetable knO to the North
That Has Many Uses In
the South.
From the New York Sun.
The COW pea is not mentioned in the mar
ket quotations., and it is not found in the
heaped-up varieties of peas at the produce
dealers. Planters even as far southwark as
the Potomac are unfamiliar with its merits.
but further down the coast, in the Caro-
linas and in Georgia, the unpretendins little
lentil is, of consequence 1t stands for the
coin of the country in certain seasons and Is
a recognized factor in the Christmas trade.
In that region when a farmer, wkite or
black. tefers to the amount of peas he has
harvested, it goes without saying that he Is
speaking of the COW pea, and 1t is the COW
pea that the quail has in mind when he
calls Bob white! Peas ripe." so confidinsly
| across the fields. The black-eyed pea. the
aristocratic little lady pea. the speckled pea,
the sugar pea. the garden pea. and so on
may have their special uses and patronage
but the COW pea heads them all IN sono'
practical benefits for man and beast in that
region.
Peas amt cost you uothin' to make. like
cotton. and dey amt debil you cen de rails
in like rice" says a black sage and econo-
m msxbs "" heI, yo US. s OF n a nan slu1 ngs across
your shoulder. il same like you got &c -
cents or de SIS. right down. in your ham.
And he puffs out his withered cheeks ana
blows enerSetically at the tanner fuil OF
threshed peas he is winnowinS at that mo-
ment:
peas cause dey was knowed for cheap
sa,in, in de slave time. he sGs5 on on
| hands to feed and wasn't QUALITY DuCkTt,
nohow. usen to gle desc people peas ia.
tons count OBJ de nourishment an de light
dough. wild people what understands right
ly bout tings. Cow peas is curious Dey
eat ' .nas'v when dey's p pulled green or dey
1t. Dey:n gle mule de collie. too, fore dss's
perish in dere tracks if dey tackles a new.
ripe pea field fore de sap is cure but dat
amt sayin. nothin, 'gainst the IN no Sa slnnId
they tases wild bacon, cider rice.
Cow peas is bound to grow wherever
YOU plant 'em. whedder in blackjack Ian
or a miry bottom, or way up on de nfi,
Whedder. de season wet or dry dey goin.
on CROWN all de same. Is a ole farmer
what's studies de signs closer dan a al
manac, but when 1 comes cross a piece
OBJ ground cen dis country what Is so poor
in out for kingdom come; Peas is a cur.
in kind O crop, too. When yous got !
no count cotton patch what S been plant
year in and year out. till it's plum thread
bare and all run down, YOU gle it two or
tree dose of cow peas. and in a couple OF
seasons it will be tone up to de Ola
StaEdin.
How You does gle it. de dosee Wei.
dis fashion. You ploughs it up c~rossways
and cherry which way 'cePt in the regular
way de ole cotton rows usen to run. Il
den you put down your pea seed wid a
heavy hand. an kivers it over, an you
leaves de patch alone til 'wayalong, in
/ do fall whom do pTnn fS TiDe- OIL KIN
pull the pods often de vine den all you
want to. but You must plough under .e
'em in de ground. Dat de medicine what
gwine do de lam good an mex ii come
up to where it was fore it run down.
buy You giana at de start to put under
it. an you must tend to it steady lessen
it trick you. Same ting wild corn. Les
de grass Your corn years goin' to be an
nubbins elder all cob. Peas is a friend TO
You from de jump. CROWN off pretty wild
out no bother, an wild SIGH a rich bios,
SOM. Den. when dey is finally slowed
way in your back shed room. dere amt
no storekeeper or landowner a eyin' EN-
dey do wild cotton an corn If all de
udder crop hab to be pay out for rent an
farmin' tools and mule hire. an one ting
an. %anudder. Niger, still got he peas TO
fall back on for to buy him flour an to-
bacco an git he wife de Christmas fun.
merry an a little something for log. rollin'
1 NC ~ oa SNeH
cen de Christmas time.
You ever did cook COW peas?" he in
quires. with a twinkle in his eyes. "Dey's
mighty bumptuous things to cook. an that
desisten'! Look here. If a man lay out
to have peas for his u o'clock ration. he
must put 'em on de fire fore day dat
mornin'. or dey won't git done. An never
you let 'em TEX de chill. dey never is to
git done. even if you sets a whole log of
light wood blazin' under EN-. Deys dat
tough, I was a young saplin' boy de first
time I had undertek to cook Il mess of
peas. l hadn't rightly understand bout
'em fore dat time.
Put plenty of water on EN- my man.
mic had say. when she start off wisitin'
an after 1 had s'arch over a good meas
ure OBJ de pease I puts EN- on an fills the
pot jam up wild water. lackin' a finger oh
de top. 1 ka'cilate dat would certain sure
low room a-pienty for the bilin'. an /
fits down de pot kiver careful an steps
outside. Please. master. when I looks in
on dem peas as'in dey had riz up an bust
de kiver often de pot an was jist a sizzlin'
all over the hearth place. 1 reckon you
could a-scoop up enough for two dinner
over. Dey was worse dan de seven loaf an
fishes what YOU hear bout cen de Bible
book. As for de gallon of water what l
had 1owanced 'em. dem peas had drink il
all cen. an look like all / could gle EN-. II
wasn't 'nough. Dey had swell up so an
was dat 'tortionatet ! had larn dat cole
water would backen a bilin' pot. so I throw
cen all de hot water dat was to hand. an
den had to turn an put on more. so as to
keep 'em goin'. Dey was all dat day cook.
in, an now when / measures out a ration
of peas to put on the fire I lows only &
handful to each pusson an bout a quar-,
of water to EN-. Peas. COW peas. is de
out-swellingest things what uey is soin'. an
you have to be spry an onwary to ge,
ahead of them.
ut tex a oman to manage wild peas. NJ,
mammie could make de bestest hoppin
John in de country. 1 don't reckon peopl,
what ain used to desc parts does know
boat hoppin' John. but if anybody tases il
once an it fix right an season right de,
gwine member it jist as well as the 'tatel
pone an de hoe cake. You hab fer cool
de rice, an' you hab fer cook de peas, an
you cooks all both of 'em togedder. but
each one must bee all stand apart when yot
git trough. an not mush up. Den de strip:
oh bacon an de seasonin' hab fer iine wit
dem to make de hoppin' part. Rainy day.
cen winter, when dere amt nothin' mucf
fer de hans to git ut. de boss does put 'en
to drubbin' out de peas on de storehous,
floor. Dat day de hoppin' John is serve u,
fer dinner fer all hands. an de sight of it
so rich an brown. is 'nough to do yol
good. De cotton is jist bein' give wa,
now: look like de 'spences is eat up all d,
profit al such a finickin price. but long a.
de cow pea stay cen de Ian an gree wiz
de soil, our Christmas Gift Is safe, same a:
if twas buy already
na,lI a-UaIo -p- 4~na-a.,~x