The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-01-17

W. =, ~s Corn just ahead of
the last cultivation
and cultivated In. They can be sovn On
u wheat or oats stubble after harvest.
ana good crop Of hay made Thew
can be used by the truck farmer 10
SOW after he has shipped his early yer
e'aDies' and Will give him u humus-
making crop. In the bright tobacco
section, where the tobacco crop is har-
vested by pulling the leaves, peas can
be sown. and the land left with n
growth OF peas and tobacco stalks for
plowinG under.
They can be sown after crimson
clover has been cut for hay, and will
make another hay crop on the same
lana. While, too, they will make n
growth of poor land, it will always
pay 10 furnish them with about 800
pounds of acid phosphate and twenty
five pounds OF murlate OF potash an
acre. This Will cause a better seed
formation. for the cowpca is not "A
heavy sccdmaker. and while, through
its aoility TO get nitrogen from the air,
IL may at times, when no mineral fer
! tilizer is used. make u good growth OF
vine and very few peas. The place
then for the cowpea in a rotation is
whenever there Is a chance to make a
crop from it,
Coupcns ny Hay.
] have mentioned the fact that in
feeding value, the hay made from
cowpcas approaches very near in feed
Ing value to that made from alfalfa
tut there is very general impression
that the hay is very hard to cure, and
all sorts OF contrivances such as frames
for stacking it over. stakes and brush
for hanging II loosely. and scaffolds OF
several stories. But have never used
any of these, and have often said that
there Is no hay more easily cured IL
you simply let II cure, and do not
monkey with all sorts of expensive
contrivances to spoil It, for the great
est value OF the hay Is in preserving
the leaves. aud all the various con-
trivances suggested fail in this. The
hay can be dried on stakes. brush or
. scaffolds, but IL allowed thus to dry
and tho leaves get crisp all that we
have left is lot of stems, while prop
crly cured in winrow. cock and barn,
we save the leaves and have real hay
instead OF sticks This is no theory,
for / have practiced 1t for thirty years,
and never had any moldy hay. once
sent sample of my hay TO the then
editor OF the Southern Planter, an Eng
ltsh farmer. He said that II was more
like real English hay than any he had
ever seen In America, the leaves
were still green In color. though well
cured Now, az to the method OF cur
ing cowpea hay. l have already given
my method. and II l gave II here. some
one next summer would write that they
have mislaid the paper, and please give
II again Therefore, as to the best
method of curing cowpea hay j VIII
take 1t up ut the season when the cur
ing should be done.
Best Method for Sowing Cowpens.
AS with every crop OF the farm there
Is right and a wrong way for plant
. Ing peas. 1t is a very common prac-
ticc when sowing peas as forage
CROP to pillow the land and SOW the peas
broadcast and harrow them In. l have
done this myself years ago. but have
! n. II l..,t a hn lna "A
good preparation of the seed bed. and
proper sowing. is just as important TO
success with cowpeas as with other
crops When sown among corn. or
course the only thing we can do Is to
work them In with the cultlvator. but
where the land is being prepared es-
pccially for the crop. we should put 1t
in good condition by thorough mar
rowing after blowing.
Then put the peas In with wheat
drill set TO SOW two bushels or wheat
an acre, and 1t will put the peas in
in tho proper quantity. and what is OF
moro Importance. it will put them all
in at uniform depth, 80 that all
Will start together, and the growth
Will bo far better than where mar
rowcd In and. some covered too deep
and others not covered ut all.
When to SOW.
AS / have said. cowpeas are tender.
have often had inquiries from North
ern farmers asking If they can be
sown in mixture with oats. They
have been used to the sowing of the
Canada pea and oats. and imagine that
the cowpea can be used in the same
way. But the Canada pea is real
pea and Il very hardy plant. Cowpeas
cannot be sown with oats. as the time
OF sowing oats in spring is too early
for the peas, and the time OF sowing
the peas too late for oats. Sow after
the soil is warm. If planted for seed,
SOW in rows wide enough for horse
cultivation. and you can harvest the
crop with the pea harvester. now used
where live. and do more than
twenty hands could do in gathering
the peas by hand. When sown. espe-
cialiy for hay, they should have tho
fertilizer suggested, and the Same Is
true when planted for seed, but sown
in corn or in fertilized truck land or
tobacco, there will be no need for
fertilzing them.
Getting Hay Crop.
'"I have n piece of fine bottom land
now in oats. Could | sow red clover
on the oats in spring. and make
good hay crop or would it be better
to harvest tho oats and then prepare
the land and SOW peas for hay? l
have also some oats on upland. and the
land seems to need lime VIII II do
to top dress the oats with lime?" II
the bottom land is we'll drained and
does rot overflow, you can grow good
red clover on II. But If you want to
prepare meadow for moro than ono
season, 1t would he well to SOW
timothy with the clover. But IL
quick hay crop is the main object then
prepare the oats stubble after harvest
and drill peas in OH the land with
wheat drill. These will mako you
valuable hay crop and more quickly
than you could get one from red clover.
Then, after moving the peas you cen
disk the land over and sow crimson
clover I'm September. and can then
have n fine growth to turn under for
corn In the spring. On the upland, if
the object is mainly soil Improvement,
I would not use lime as n top dress
ing. but would follow the oats with
peas and turn them undor ut maturity.
and then apply the limo and harrow It
In and sow crimson clover there too.
Cowpeas In summer and crimson clover