The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-22

| sarding the harvesting and curing of the crop Many farmers seem to think that | the crop should be turned under as soon as the vines cover the land. This is a 1 great mistake and a waste of much val uable feed. As the greater part of the fertilizing quality of the crop is in the l roots, 1t would be economy to cut and l save the vines for hay. However, this 1 hay should be fed to live stock on the farm and the droppings from the stock | put back on the soil. 1t would be poor economy to plant peas for enrichng the soil, then cut and sell the hay off the farm, as is so often done.
 I Now, as to the question of when to | harvest. This, like all otner farm mat l ters, is one to be determined by condi- tions ordinarily, it is best to leave the crop until the seed is well developed or until the first pods begin to ripen. How l ever as large per cent of the feeding value of the plant Is in the leaf, the crop should be harvested at such time l when most of the leaves can be saved. Should the weather become very dry, the !, crop should be harvested at once so as to save as much of the foliage as possi- l ble.
 turing me nay.
 This is very important matter and | often it is a difficult matter to get the l hay cured in the proper way. The great est trouble is to cure so as to prevent the loss of leaves and at the same time get the stalks dried out so that they will keep.
 To do this. it is best to shock the hay in smal. stacks on the ground and allow these to remain In the open air and sun in the field until the stems become so dry that no water can be pressed from l them When the weather is favorable there will be no trouble in drying out the hay in these small shocks. The hay should be taken in and housed as soon las 1t is fully cured. This matter of sav- ing pea vine hay is like any other farm work-it should be done at the right time l and in the right way. Of course, farmers have to take weather chances for this as well as for all other farm operations. jBut there is one thing in favor of this crop If we should have rain at harvest time so that we cannot make hay. the crop can be left for seed for stock to eat later In the season and so this and the fertilizer that they make will make the crop paying one.
 Seed.
 Seed of the COW pea is scarce and high this season Every day l have inquiries for seed or where seed can be obtained and with the ever increasing demand for seed of this pea, they are likely to re- main high Then again, the saving of the seed is work that has to be performed l almost entirely by hand. from the fact that the crop does not ripen evenly and where one waits for them to do so. the first pods to ripen are apt to burst open and lose the seed, or If the weather is wet, they may become badly damaged. which would cause lots of hand picking and would add greatly to the cost of the seed. The better plan would be to go over the crop frequently and pick off all ripe pods, the same as we have to gather cotton. castor beans and coffee. These are all crops that require much hand work. but one advantage with each is that the labor Is not heavy or hard. so that women and children can do the pick ing on nearly every farm. There Is enough time wasted, which if put to use, could not only be used in gathering all seed for planting the home crop, but also many bushels for the market.
 Opportunity of the South. About two years ago, after a trip through some of our northern states where I found an increasing demand for the COW pea, I wrote an article for The Age-Herald calling the attention o1 our readers to the fact that here was a golden opportunity for the southern farm CT: that he by going to work and plac. ing the COW pea on higher plane might put them in a rotation and grow them ir carload lots for the markets. The cror is now. being grown in sections where tbe sea sons are too short to mature seec and these growers have to look annually l to the south for their seed.
 Now the question is. why should not oul
 southern farmers take the same pride 1T selecting and breeding pure varieties oi 1 the cow pea as the farmer of the nortt l in se. ting and breeding his corn? Wh, l should iot the COW pea become a standard | crop all over the south and why should not our farmers select the best varieties grow and keep them pure? These are | timely, practical questions. Who has ar | answer ready for them?
 But instead of these conditions existing
 what do we find? As a rule it is prac. tically an inlpossibility to find straight variety of COW pea seed in any of ouI markets, though one may find hall a dozen varieties in the same lot. Not l only this, but we often see them brought to market with hulls and other trash mixed in with them. so that the merchant is compelled in buying this stock to 1 charge the farmer for having to clean |
 Other Crops.
 l There is no longer any danger of an l over-production of good COW pea seed Only today one of the leading dairymen of Missouri came to me to knof if l could tell him where he could buy a car of seed He said that he had just re- turned from St. Louis. where he went to buy and that there was not car load to be found. If any of our readers have any surplus stock they would do we'll to advertise the fact in this paper, and at the same time write me what you have and prices wanted. However. I am sure that every farmer in Alabama can find a ready market right in Birmingham for every bushel of peas that he may have | Very much can be written in favor of the COW pea. in fact, I have but barely submitted a few practical thoughts here to again call the attention of our farmers to the value of the crop and the impor- tance of selecting breeding and growing more and better seed.
 There are other crops, such ae wheat, Tennessee winter barley and winter oats that I want to write about just as soon as time will allow mo to do so. and in treating these subjects may have more to say for the COW pea, as they should be grown in a rotation with these grain crops.