Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1906-06-01
C0WPEAS (Vigna Sinensis)

! The cowpea belongs to the Legumi
nosae family and is close kin to the
vetch. peas, beans, etc. Like all legumes
it has the power of gathering atmos
pherlc nitrogen through the bacteria
which live in the nodules on its roots
1t is therefore one of the best soil i'm
proving crops known, and its cultiva-
tion cannot be too strongly urged on
our farmers for it provides hay of ex.
cellent quality which can often be fed
as ubstltute for part of the wheat
bran, corn or oats so commonly fed to
beef and dairy cattle, thus reducing the
cost of making a gallon of milk or a
pound OF beef as the case may be.
The land for cowpeas should be care
fully prepared and we'll fertilized though
1t Is seldom necessary to supply nitro
gen. When incubation is advisa bic
an artificial culture may be used, or
200 to 500 pounds of soil from field
where cowpeas have grown successful
ly before. 200 pounds Of high grade
acid phosphate, basic Stag, or 800
pounds of bone meal with 200 to 800
pounds of unIeached wood ashes or so
pounds of muriate or sulphate of pot
ash will make good application of
fertilizer to use on cOwpeas. The
cowpea is adapted to a great variety
of soils and if the seed is obtained from
local source it thriyes we'll from the
costal plain to an elevation of $500
feet above sea level. Cowpeas may be
broadcasted or sown in drills "a inches
apart by stopping up two out of every
three of the tubes OH an ordinary grain
drill. When drilled use from three
pecks to bushel per acre, and when
broadcasted from a bushel and a half
to two bushels.
Some of the beet varieties of cow
peas to grow are Warren's Extra Early,
New Era, WhippOorwill, Lady, Red
Ripper, Crowder. Black, Iron, Clay
and Wonderful or Unknown. The New
Era. Black, Clay and Whippoorwill
are among the best varieties to grow
for seed. Cowpeas will yield from 10
to 25 bushels of grain per acre and from
II to 81 tons of hay. The feeding value |
of we'll cured cowpea hay cannot be |
too stI ongly and the grain
is valuable as an adjunct in feeding
beef and dairy cattle and swine. The |
high price of the grain has prevented |
its general use for this purpose.
The value of the cOwpea crep as a !
green manure lies in the fact that it
will gather from 75 to 125 pounds of
nitrogen per acre from the air. By
blowing under the entire crop as much
IS SIS 90 worth of nitrogen can be add.
d to an acre of land. A crop of COW
peas if properly plowed under will not
|our the land, but will improve it's me-
;hanical condition wonderfully and in
crease its crop yielding capacity. II e
Increase sometimes amounts to ] 0 bush
lis of wheat and 30 to % bushels of
, orn. In the dark tobacco belt cow
peas can be brought into the rotation
Ind used for soil building purposes
with marked advantage. COwpea hay
will cost from 50 so to 81 90 per ton
lnd will bring from $1,000 to $15 10
IN on most markets. Cowpea can te
utilized for grazing by hogs and cattle
with most satisfactory results. They
can also be grown with corn and sor-
,hum for sllage purposes.
Why not utilize this valuable crop
more generally?
ANDREW M. SOULE,
Dean and Director.