Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1901-01-16
FARM AND GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST TO
ACRiCULTURlSTS
Sorne Ur-to- data Hints -ihou. Cuitivs-
tion OF the Soil and Yields Thereof
Horticniiure, Nitieuiiars and fioricui-
turc.



Aside fron small piats, purely cx-
perimental, COW peas do not seem to
have been grown 10 any considerable
extent in Kansas, except by Hon. Ed
win Taylor OF Wyandorte county.
whose experience has been published
by Secretary Cobusn OF the S,ata Boari
OF Agriculture. A portion OF MIR. Tay-
lor's observations is given herewith;
Several of my neighbors are natives
Of the mountain portion OF Tennessee.
For years have listened to their
stories of the value OF COW peas and,
at last. some five years ago. I was
aggravated" By their iteration into try
ing the COW pea myself planted five
acres of upland with them. had the
peas all right, estimated at from IF
teen to twenty bushels per acre, and
now e-me the question Of gathering
them. l couldn't set it done 1T all. for
the reason that all the available pick
ers in the nelghborhood were p'cking
potatoes.
All the agricultural writers were
singing the praises of the cow pen. and
last summer CiS991 1 surrendered
again and gave the peas second
trial.
planted the first section, about ten
acres. the 9Th of July. The peas came
up quickly, were well narrowed when
about four inches high, had no other
cultivation. grew rapidly. but kept
company with good many weeds.
We pushed the potato digging and neg
.eeted the pea planting. so that when
we were done digging two-thirds OF
the field was vet to SOW. the ground
hard. and dry. About half was broad
casted; the other half planted With the
corn planter. 1t WAS Aug. 10 before
we finished. On the broadcast sowing
fully one and one-half bushels If seed
to the acre was used: on the portion
put in with the planter. about half q
bushel per acre, and or that portion
also was the best yield. The seed in
the first instance cost (s1.5o per
busheD S2.25 per acre. IN the second
70 cents. About Eve acres of the por-
ton put in with the planter did not
have the rows doubled. thus giving an
opportunity for cultivation. 1t was
gone over twice with a wheel culti-
yator, and the resulting crop, SO much
stronger and ranker than any OF the
rest, convinced me that. on rich
ground, the peas should be sown in
rows wide enough apart to admit OF
thorough cultivation. The saving in
seed over broadcast sowing will much
more than pay for the cultivation,
while the yield. judging from one
years operations, will be considerably
increased. The FIRST week in September
cut few loads Of peas and ran them
through the cutter To seal" the en-
silage which we had Just finished put
ting up. 1t served the purpose the bss
OF anything I ever used. We fed tbs
peas green. dried and half-dried Tn.
cows seemed Indifferent to the prep
aration, so long as the supply was am
PIE. Not only was there the increast
Of milk noticed. but the aeetA Of thrift
in the animals themselves was mos
apparent.
| had two varieties, the Wkippoor
will and the Clay. The first named
the earlier variety; It makes les
vines and more peas than the latter
There were mere or less peas on mes
OF the wires we fed. Nothing wa
weighed. but | guess the yield to hav
been around three tons OF dry vine
and peas per acre. A few stalks c
the Whippoorwill. planted July 5. no
cut, had matured their pods the latte
part OF September. My conclusion
are: First, the WhippoorwilI pea
planted in rows thirty inches apart an
well cultivated. will make fine feed /
sixty Gays and ripen a full crop c
seed in eighty days, and the Clay wi
follow on some fifteen days later Sec
ond, that 50 long as they can be haule
from the field they are about the fir
est COW feed known, and / see n
reason why, when dried thorough,
they might not be treated as other ha
and retain their value. Third IL, whe
/ have farmed that field another yea
/ find that my Tennessee friends al
vindicated as to the increased friabilit
and productivity of the soil from tn
cultivation of this legume as fully 9
they have respecting its value for fcet
ing cows. then l shall want to add m
mite to a subscription for mont
ment to the man who invented co
peas.