Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-12-06
COWPEAS.
Popular Notion About Its Nitrogen
Pronounced TO BE an Error.

Pronounced TO BE an Error
/ find in my own immediate section
that the farmer who plants the largest
acreage or catch patches of cowpeas
has lands growing more productive.
writes a Georgia farmer to Country
Gentleman Having tried all the lead
ing varieties l think the Unknown is
the best for all purposes. OF the New
Era pea there can be two crops grown
in one season, but these are only fit to
pasture off with hogs. Then there is
the pea called the Tory. that can be
sown with oats in November if it is
not too warm and will lie in the ground
all winter and come up In the spring
after the oats are cut off and with the
natural grasses make fine crop of
hay.
AS to the different ways of planting,
some plant in drills, some broadcast
If the peas are to be picked, plant in
21s feet rows and cultivate until they
get to shading the ground nicely, then
lay them by. If for hay, broadcasting
is the best, using about u bushels per
acre. 1t is a good plan to add about
three quarts of corn mixed with the
peas per acre. The corn holds up the
vines when they get to running and
adds, with such grasses as grow, to the
quality of the hay and will assist in
curing by absorption.
My plan of curing. pea vines is as fol
lczR In the first place ! would moi
think of cutting pea vines unless pretty
well assured of at least three Or foul
days ahead of dry weather and then &c
in IL a large acreage with all hands.
commence cutting when the first ped:
begin to turn little yellow OF course
there will be lots of immatured pods
and some blossoms. prefer to SOW
plenty of seed, so that the stems viii
not grow too large and rank Cut IL
the forenoon and in the afternoon
bunch up with forks into small bunch
es. Separate the vines so as to have
every bunch free from each other an6
not hanging. This will facilitate load
ing on the wagon. These punches car
be turned over, but not shaken up, fol
two or three days and by that time vii
be thoroughly cured ii you have had {
good wind or sunny weather, and tht
leaves where the vines have beer
punched up in this way viii not she6
to any amount. | have pea vine hay
in my barn now with all of their leave:
and as green as green tea. This plan
like better than raking, as in rakinl
you gather the vines all together. il
windrows, and if they have made Ions
runners-and | have seen them oyel
100 feet long-the vines will be al
snarled together and will be hard t
separate into forkfals, and then again
when raked with wire tooth RAKE
they are covered with dust, and .
hay is injurious to all kinds of an
| read in bulletin No. of the exp (.
ment station of Tennessee an account
of an experiment made with winter
wheat. 1t says with regard to the us'
of the cowpea as a nitrogen gatherer
at is important to explain that most Of
the nitrogen will be found in the leaves
of this plant 1t is a mistake to thinl
that it is found in the nodules of tho
roots. A crop of peas sown in drill:
and carefully cultivated if plowed un
der win provide the soil with anywhere
from IS to $50 pounds of nitrogen pei
acre. If the same crop is cut off from
the soil, not more than 10 to % pound:
will be secured to the soil in the roots
stems and leaves left on the ground.
This station advises planting early il
the spring. cutting off the first crop fol
hay and blowing under the second croI
or aftermath, to he followed by wheat
and / Will add any other crop. | have
a field where the first crop was cut The
list of August, that since the light rain!
of Iate has now a fine growth. almos
4 H.. esies
From my experience in grow ing co
peas, compared with clover as S,
renoyator and for forage | find til
this plant is far preferable to Glove
but, like clover, must have somethil
to feed upon. aud to grow a luxuria
crop there should be from 100 to ,
/, pounds of acid phosphate and from
j. to $50 pounds of muriate of potai
broadcasted per acre. As humus, al
: plenty of it. is what every soil needs
order TO grow productive crops '
should grow such crops as viii furni'
more humus to the soil and enable
to keep more live stock, thereby aidiI
t in more permanent fertility of IL
soil