St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-06-02
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
THE VALUE OF THE cow PEA.
A Crop that Deserves tn he Called
..the Glover or the south"
Briefly Discussed.

The Tennessee agricultural STATEN
has issued a valuable and exhaustive
treaties on grasses and forage plants,
by Col J. B. Millebrew, A. NJ. Phi. D..
probably the highest authority in the
south upon the culture and uses of
forage plants. In writing OF the COW
| Pea he SAYS:
| No agricultural product of the south
has come SO rapidly into we'll merited
and almost universal favor within the
| past twenty years. Cow peas richly
deserve 10 pe called 1.-The clover of the
SOUTH" They supply as much hnm"s
to the soil as clover and may be s,ic-
| cessfuily grown upon soils that are SO
| sterile clover would wither and die TN
| them. One of he greatest advantages
which the COW pea possesses over
every other forage OF fertilizing crop
yrcwn is its adaptability To every soil.
The writer has seen it grow with
strong foliage upon a dozen different
sells i'm Tennessee. but the COW pea
is especially valuable for dry. sandy
soils. inasmuch as clover rarely does
well on such soils.
After mentioning the valae of cow
peas for hay the author says. as to
even clover surpasses the COW pea as
soil rcnovator. The most badly worn
and abIscd soil may be quickly
brought TO condition for profitable
production by planting succession of
pea vine crops aron il. Nor arr the
der the pea vines when green. Careful
experiments made by the Georgia sta
ton show. frs, that the best dispus:-
ton of field peas is to convert the pea
into hay. Second, the next best is to
permit the peas to ripen and gather
them or pasture them. Third. turning
the pea vines under green gave the
poorest economic results. To which
the director adds the following note.
AS fertilizer it may be truly said
that the practice of turning under Il
crcp of COW pea vines really for the
nlcwcr and in a few days ready fer
the barn and the cattle, has no more
reason to sustain it than would the
practice of turning under a crop Of
wheat, oats. corn or cotton at its most
vigorous stage of growth. Nearly
every form Of stock food would b. a
most valuable and effective fertilizer if
applied Immediately and directly to
the soil, but the farmer in an economic
sense can no more afford 70 MANURE
his soil with a crop of pea vines that
are ready 20 NOV than me can to sow
good, sound wheat bran on his land as
fertilizer.
Prof. Stubbs, of the Louisiana en-
pertinent station, says, as valuable as
this plant is for its vine and fruit as
food, its superlative excellence lies in
tn property which it has of restoring
soils. This property il shares with all
leguminous plants. but it surpasses
them all in producing the maximum
results in a minimum of time.
Much more might be written to
show the value of the pea crop. Sum-
ming up its chief merits. we have:
!. The pea will grow on land too
poor to grow clover.
> 1t will produce heavy and rich
crop to be returned to the soil in ~
shorter time than any other green
manuring crop.
5. On the same land in one year two
crops can be grown. but il requires
twc years for clover to produce a hay
crop; so it will be seen that four crops
of peas may be grown in the same
time as one crop of clover.
!. The pea crop feeds lightly npon
the soil, but largely upon the atmos
phere. appropriating nitrogen, through
the agency of the bacteria that infes,
its roots.
) Ii is one of the best preparatory
crops for wheat. as it leaves the soil in
excellent condition. adding a large
content of nitrogen, which is an es-
sential element in the growing OF
wheat.
6. The rapidity of its growth makes
il the only crop in the south that may
be used as manurial crop betwe.n
the harvesting of grain and the SOW
ing of it on the same land.
Z. 1t grows as vigorous as clover.
ant. i'm connection With that plant
makes the south peculiarly rich in
these vegetable agents that improve
the soil.
:. 1t may be grown in connection
with the corn crop. furnishing almost
a.s much nutriment as the corn crop.
itself, with positive benefit to the
land.
8. 1t is substantial factor i'm tn,
production of cheap beef. pork, milk
and butter.
10. 1t doubles the capacity OF the
land for wintering stock. and gives
double the material for making ma
nure heaps.
II. The CALLED and waste places I'm
the south can be more quickly and
cheaply restored by a iudicious culti-
walton of the pea and by a proper ro-
ta;ion Of other crops with it, than in
any other way.
II. BY adding humus il preserves
the humidity of the soil. and so en-
ables the crops to resist droughts.
II. The vines of cow peas furnish
the very best material for ensilage.
IA. The composition Of COW peas and
pea vine hay shows that they have a
very high feeding value for all do
nestle animals.