The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1902-09-02
CURING PEA VINE HAY.


as the cotton plant to the country,
perhaps more, for it grows much
farther north and thrives on vast re-
gions in which cotton will not grow
at all. The cowpea has a three-foId
value. Greatest of all is that it in
creases the fertility of every acre on
which it is grown and increases it fas-
ter and more economically than any
other crop as easily, surely and widely
grown. Then the pea itself is of
high value as stock food, nor do men
with sound appetites despise it. Third
as forage the pea vine hay is beyond
comparison the best food that we have
ever used. Shredded as we shred it its
actual value to us is fully twice that
of average timothy hay. Of course a
chemical analysis does not show that
difference, though I believe it shows
considerable difference, in favor of
pea vine hay. In estimating its value
[ consider the great relish of all the
animals for it, their superior condi-
ton and working capacity, and the les
sened ration of grain that will keep
them up while fed on it.
The value of pea vine hay as a for
age depends very largely upon its
proper curing; probably more than
any other forage whatsoever. The
curing of it is the simplest, easiest
thing in the world. I don't know how
/ came to adopt it unless it was owing
to my belief that the best things are
the simplest things, the best ways the
simplest ways. Nevertheless this mode
of curing is of incalculable value to
us. For it not only cures the hay per-
fectly but there is no worry, no ele-
ment of uncertainty as in all other
modes.
We cut the pea vines with a mower
drawn by two horses. One machine
well handled will cut nearly ten acres
a day. A cutting blade could, of
course, be used for a small acreage.
Right behind our mower follows a
force putting up stack poles. Any
ten foot pole will answer as it has to
stand only a short while. The pole
set we nail a strip of wood-readily
riven from pine or any wood that
splits easily-about four feet long,
placing it about one foot above the
ground, and Immediately above anoth-
er similar strip nailed cross-wise the
first. These strips serve to keep the
bottom of the stack of vines from rest
ing on the ground and rotting in wet
seasons. Brush will answer as well or
even better though it is not practical
bic where a great many stack poles are
to be protected. We put up about 1000
stacks every fall. We have cured
vines without any rotting at all when
no protection at all was used at the
bottom of the stack.
Well, the stack poles planted we
follow right behind the mower and
make stacks of the vines as high as the
poles and about four feet in diameter,
sloping and smoothing the stacks at
the top so as to shed water.
No more attention or thought need
be given the stacks till the vines are
sufficiently cured to be threshed and
shredded. And a beautiful and most
excellent lot of forage you will have,
too. All cured green and sweet. It
tastes sweet almost like sugar cane.
The shredding should be done as soon
after the vines are cured as practical
bic, as the longer the stacks stand the
deeper the weather affects the vines.
Besides bad weather is apt to come
later in the fall and hinder the shred
ding.
We have found above mode to work
perfectly even in seasons like 1901,
the wettest ever known here. My
neighbors who let their vines lay to
cure or even to wilt had them badly
damaged. We went right ahead reap
ing and stacking every hour that the
standing vines were not actually wet
with rain and lost not an armful of
forage.
Having thus to our complete salts
faction settled the vexatious matter
of curing the hay we plant one hun
dred acres of peas annually. The re-
suit is that we have an abundance of
excellent forage to use and much to
sell. Our work animals are the won
! der and admiration of the neirhhnr.