Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1905-01-20
HOME GROWN PROTEIN.
a Substitute For Purchased Fevd..
The Covvpea In the south.
BY q. h DOANE Afarvlapd A,x,,.rf,,,....

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The COwDea In the south.
BY c. +. DOANE. Maryland Experiment
Station.
The cowpea has become the leading
leguminous crop or the southern states.
snd IL Will doubtless become more pop
ular and highly appreciated when its
full value becomes better known. IL "a
not only valuable as 4 forage crop.
but II also ranks high as a soil I'm
proven and will be largely used for this
purpose when the southern farmers re-
alize the necessity OF leguminous plants
IN their farm economy and adopt rota-
uonS for these crops.
Cowpeas have been grown az the
Maryland station for number OF
years and used chiefly as n green ma
nure, but during the last few years Il
has been considered more profitable 10
utilize them I'm some way as feed for
stock. For this purpose the cOwpeas
have been made into hay and snage.
Co~pea and Corn SilaEe Compared.
Feeding experiments with cowpeas
were conducted through two winters.
The cowpeas used In this test were OF
the black variety. Cowpea silag0 is
quite different In general appearance
from corn silage. 1t becomes darker In
color and does not have quite as pleas
ant an odOr. BY tests In the laboratory
II was found to be less acid than corn
silage. When the cows were frat
given the cowpea silage they did not
seem TO relish IL. and some individuals
refused To eat IL entirely. The apparent
dislike ut first was only another In
stance OF many similar ones when new
food is offered and serves as additional
proof that animals as well as men
must be given time To acquire taste
for many foods. The COWS soon learn
ell To like the cowpea silage. though
they never ate as much as OF the corn
silage. but judging from the milk
yields they evidently consumed SUN
Gent 10 do good work. In this connec-
ton II may be noted that none OF the
cows In the station herd consume as
much rOughnge as is commonly men
toned by many writers and recorded
by some eXperimenters.
The result shows that the cows re
ceiving cOwpca silage made the best
gains and those receiving the corn and
cowpea silage mixed close second
The results cannot be taken other than
that the cowpea silage Is little bettor
for milk production than corn silage.
1t Is true that practically as much
grain was needed with cowpea silage
as with corn silage, and. though this
grain is or can be raised OH the farm
and the grain TO feed with corn silage
needs be purchased, one IL about as
valuable on the market AZ the other.
This is compensated for I'm another
way.
Reducing the FerttliHer nil.
The dealer I'm fertilizers gets about as
much OF the average farmers money
as does the feed dealer. To reduce the
fertilizer bill as much as possible con
sistent with good crops. should be the
aim OF every farmer Both alfalfa aud
cOwpea belong TO the class or plants
that obtain n great part OF their nitro
gen from the air. and I'm doing this they
enrich the soil materially instead OF ex-
hausting IL, as will many OF the for
age crops commonly grown. except OF
course. clover. Cowpeas are perhaps
the most valuable fertility restorer
available for the southern farmer, as
IL Will grow on soil where no other for
age plant will grow. Alfalfa under Ger
tain conditions Is also very valuable,
and I'm growing either OF these crops
for feeding dairy or other stock the
farmer is not only growing his own
protein feed. but he Is adding nitrogen
TO the soil.