The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-10
COW'PEAS ARE
fine FOR SOIL

70 BLAcKsBURG, May g. (specaL)-.l
Press Bulletin No. II has been Issued by
the Virginia Experiment Station on the
subject OF "Cowpeas" Cvigna sinensIs).
The cowpea, 1t says. belongs to the
leguninosae family, and is close kin to |
the vetch. peas. beans, ETC.. Like all
legumes, it has tho power Of gathering
atmospheric nitrogen through the BAG
terra which live In the nodules on Its
roots It is therefore one OF the best |
soil improving crops known. and Its Gull
tiyatlon cannot be too strongly urged on |
our farmers, for It provides hay OF
excellent quality, which can often be
fed as substitute for part Of the
wheat bran, corn or oats so commonly
fed to beet and dairy cattle, thus reduc-
ing the cost OF making Il gallon OF milk
or n pound OF beef, as the case may be.
The land for cowpeas should be care
fully prepared and we'll fcrtillzcd. though
it Is seldom necessary to supply nitro
gen. When incubation Is advisable, an
artificial culture may be used, or zoo 70
500 mounds Of soil from a field where
cownoas have grown successfully before,
Two hundred pounds of hgh-gindc acid
phosphate, basic Stag, or 300 pounds or
bone meal with 200 to 900 pounds OF
unleached wood ashes or 90 pounds OF
murlate or sulphate OF potash, VIII MAKE
a good application OF fertilizer to use on
cowpeas. Tho cowpea Is adapted 10 y
great variety OF soils, and II the SEED IS
obtained from local sources u tn ,a,
we'll from the costal plain to an elcVa-
tion OF $500 feet above sea level, Cow
mons may be brondcasted or sown N
drills twenty-four inches apart by stop
Ming up two out OF every three OF INC
tubes on an ordinary grain drill. Whcn
drilled use from three pecks 70 q Dusl'ei
per acre, and when broadcasted from
1 = t,.,tf t<f tIvn t. .
! some OF tho best varieties OF cowpeas
| to grow aro Warron's Extra Early, New
I1ra' Whippoorwil Lady, Red Ripper
| C,ro,yder Black Iron, Clay and Wonder
| ~, or Unknown. Tho New Era. slack
clay and Whippoorwill are among the
best varieties to grow for SEED. COW
meas will yield from ten to twenty-five
bushels Of grain per acre and H., from tna. o,,s
ana a half to three and half tons Q!
INV rho feeding value of well-curcd
no,vnca hay cannot be emphasized too
strongly, md the gralntis valuable as an
adjunct in feeding beef and dairy catt1e
and swine The high prico OF the grain
has prevented It's general use 1or inns
purpose rao,,
The value OF the cowpea as green
manure lies In the fact that 1t VIII gather
from TX to 1875 pounds Of nitrogen per
acre from tho air, BY plowing under the
antire crop as much as $l6 worth OF nitro
een can be added to an acre Of land,
CROP of cowpeas. II properly plowed under,
viii not sour tho land, but VIII improve
liz mechanical condition wonderfully ana
increase it's crop yielding capacity me
increase sometimes amounts 10 zen
bushels OF wheat and twenty to twenty
five bushels OF corn, In the dark tobacco
hclt cowpons can DO brought into the
rotation and used for soil building pur-
noses with marked advantage. cowpea
nav will cost from $3.50 to 81 per tom
and viii bring from sl2 to sl5 ton on
mos most markets. Cowpeas can DO utilized
for grazing by hogs and cattle with most
satisfactory results. They can also DO
grown With corn and sorghum for sllase
purposes, ~ oro,, moro
rcnerallyo ANDREW NJ. sOiJl4r,
e'AN Dean and Director
The above is the result of sc,entlho
5 exncriments on State farm, ana IS cor,
roborated ,by the practical experience o.
+ thousands OF farmers. Wo carry lmrsn
stocks Of cowreas. and can supply an q
the varieties mentioned. Write 10 neat
quarters for Gowpeas. ,,n ,,r
j Richmond. Va,