The Montgomery tribune., 1908-05-01
FOR IMPROVING THE SOIL.
The Value Of Cowpeas on
the Northeast Missouri
Prairie Soil,

appreciated Dy tne average tar-
mer. The cost of seed and
the fact that frequent failures have
resulted owing to having planted
them too early together with a
prevailing idea that they are hard
to cure as hay has prevented their
being grown to any great extent.
However, on the flatter phases of
this territory where clover freezes
out there is no crop which offers
greater possibilities for improving
the soil as we'll as for bringing a
return at the sametime. Even on
the more rolling uplands where
clover can be grown with success,
the use of cowpeas as a catch crop
sown in be tween the regular
crops in a rotation will be found
of very great value.
Cowpeas will give practically the
same benefit to the soil in three
months when sown and pastured
off as clover will in sixteen
months, and with the present
prices of clover seed the cost of
seeding is not much different. If
cowpeas are put in from the mid
die to the last of June in most of
this region with grain drill on a
seed bed prepared as for corn,
sowing them at the rate of from
three to four pecks per acre a
large amount of most valuable
forage may be secured. Expert
ments on the various experiment
tai fields which the state Expert
ment Station is conducting in
this region have shown that the
popular outcry against cowpeas
not being profitable is entirely
unfounded. There is no other
crop that affords the opportunity
for soil building on the worn, fl at
prairie of Northeast Missouri.
The varieties of peas best
adapted for general use are the
Whippoorwill where medium
early vining and medium seed
producing pea is desired and the
New Era where an early erect and
heavy seed producing variety is
wanted. The New Era usually
makes the best hay because it
stands erect and is more easily
handled. For sowing in the corn
at the last cultivation the New Era
is also to be recommended. They
are best put in in this case with a
one horse grain drill sown be-
tween the rows at the rate of two
or three pecks per acre. They
may also be broadcasted and
cultivated in but this is less GER
tain. On dry seasons peas sown
in the corn in this way sometimes
fail to make much growth but on
average seasons if they are drilled
in they make a large amount oi
pasture for hogs or sheep and
build up the soil greatly at the
sametime.
Peas may also be sown with, the
corn in the row or hill where an
early variety of corn is used and
planted rather late. For this pur.
pose a pea like the black which il
good seed producer and quite
vining in nature is we'll adapted
Peas may also be sown in rows
and cultivated with good results
This requires a much less amour
J of seed for sowing. but since they
should be cultivated at least twic
, there is not much, saved in aetna
expense. They are best sown il
this case with a. remodelled cor
, planter or grain drill with par
of the holes stopped. putting tn
: rows thirty lnches apart or there
t abouts.
5 The farmer, who has land ths
is beginning to show exhaustatio
and which needs building up can
not afford to neglect the use {
cowpeas in some way in hi
system of farming. Glover
u good where it can be grown, bu
cowpeas being of so much quickt
=, maturity have greater possibilitis
for being thrown in as pastul
h crops, somewhere in the rotate
even where clover is grown as
W regular crop. The time is rapid
coming in northeast Nilsson