The Butler weekly times., 1912-03-21
COWPEAS.
Bulletin Mo. state Boari Of Agriculture.

The cowpea is plant that is no
sufficiently appreciated by the Mis-
souri, farmer. Its value as soil rem
ovator, as green manure crop, as {
pasture and as a regular hay crop
gives it a place in Missouri agricul
ture which warrants its wide accept
ance by our farmers. Its wide
adaptation to the soils and to the eli
matte conditions common to Missouri,
make it crop that can readily be
readily grown in practically every
part of the state, and there is little
doubt that its use is destined to a
great increase, due to the constantly
increasing prices of farm lands with
out corresponding increase in pro-
duction.
There are, however, some impor-
tant reasons why the cowpea has not
taken as important place in Missou-
ri as it deserves. Among these, are
the high cost of seed and the difficult
ty in curing the hay. The gradual in
PRODUCTION of cowpea hullers that will
handle the peas from the vine with
out cracking them, will undoubtedly
overcome the first of these difficult
ties to considerable extent, while
proper methods of handling the hay
will in great measure overcome the
difficulty encountered in curing. A
third reason which has prevented the
wide acceptance of the cowpea in
Missouri agriculture has been the
fact that corn was considered a better
money crop. AS matter of fact, for
the man who is feeding live stock,
this is not necessarily true. The
statistics from the office of the Secre-
tary of Agriculture show that as an
average of all the reports returned
on the valuation Of the various farm
crops, the COW peas stand at the head
of the list in acre value.
The Use of Cowpeas in Soil
Improvement.
AS soil builder, the cowpea has
no equal for Missouri, where time is
a factor. The is much the same ben
eft to the land, to be derived from a
crop of cowpeas which requires but
three months to mature, as there is
from crop of clover. Moreover,
the effect of cowpeas upon the soil,
not considered merely for the nitro
gen which it adds, but the great i'm
provement in the tilth, or friableness,
in the soil is we'll known to all who
have handled them. The beneficial
effect on corn crop following
cowpea crop is exceedingly striking,
many reports having been received at
the Experiment Station of an increase
in corn yields from this cause, rang
ng from five to twenty bushels per
acre. On the soil experiment fields
)f the Experiment Station, which are
ocated in the various parts OF the
state, the increase in the yield Of
'rops, following crop of cowpeas is
'ery striking.
For the man who has a rundown
'iece of land, therefore, which he
wishes built up, or a piece of land
which is naturally thin, there is no
more rapid method to increase the
ertility than in the growing of cow 8
'eas. This is particularly true, since {
he cowpeas are grown on thin land {
'etter than any crop unless it be
'uckwheat, millet or sorghum, and '
While these crops are very hard on :
he land, the cowpea has the opposite
fleet and is great benefit. t
PREPARATION of the Land for Cowpeas ,
The preparation of the land for the r
owpeas should be about the same as G
or corn. 1t is true that cowpeas can d
e sown on land which has not re- Z
eived quite as thorough preparation
5 is usually given for a corn crop,
ut much depends upon the season
blowing as to the results obtained. 4
he experiment Station has OCCASION q
ly practiced the sowing of cowpeas y
n wheat stubble by simply double a
skiing and then drilling them in.
his, however, is limited to seasons >;
abundant rainfall and to stubble :,
lat is fairly clean of weeds. As a ~
lie, it is best to put the land in good n
'ndition before sowing cowpeas. n
Cowpeas may follow any crop :;
hich can be removed by the middle
June, such as wheat, oats, clover
I'd in some cases, early potatoes,
hile of course, they may follow corn