Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1914-03-11
COW PEAS AND SOY BEANS
SHOULD Be MORE WIDELY GROWN
Furnish Valuable Hay and Grain in Addition to Supplying
Nitrogen to the So-Habts of Growth
and Planting Directions
smith, College Of Agriculture West Virginia University

Both of these crops belong to that
class known as the legumes, which are
able 10 utilize for their growth the nj
trogen OF the air provided certain nod.
ules, or tubercules, are formed on their
roots. These nodules are formed by
certain bacteria; unless they are pres.
ent these plants will make but weak
growth, often turning yellow and dy-
Ing. II the tubercle forming bacteria
is absent from the soil. the plants, like
all other plants outside OF the legume
class, will be forced to derive the nj
trogen necessary for their growth ex.
clusively from the organic matter that
may be present in the soil, and are
prevented from utilizing the immense
store OF nitrogen present in the atmos,
phere, the air consisting of fourfifths
nitrogen.
The Importance OF inoculating the
soil for these crops, by which we mean
furnishing or adding TO the soil these
tubercle forming bacteria, therefore
| becomes apparent. Each of the crops
requires distinct kind of bacteria
and the incubation may be done either
by obtaining three to five hundred
pounds of surface soil from field in
which the crop has previously been
grown and applying this amount over
an acre OF the proposed seeding, or
pure cultures OF these bacteria may be
obtained from the Department of Agri-
culture at Washington and may be APP
piled to the seed prior to seeding.
Both COW peas and soy beans are
ANIMALS, being sown In the spring and
harvested in the fall. Before taking
either of them up in great detail 1t
may be well to make a comparison OF
these two plants.
The soy bean is determinate in
growth; It reaches a definite size and
natures. Nearly all varieties of cow
peas, on the other hand. are indie
terminate, continuing growth until
killed by frost. Soy beans, with few
exceptions, grow erect. Cow peas are
wiry plants and, therefore, more diff
cult TO harvest. Soy beans mature all
their beans at one time. Cowpeas con.
tinue to produce green pods as long
as the plant lives.
Soy beans are less subject to frost
injury both in the spring and fall than
are cowpeas, and are also more re
sistant TO drought and excessive mois
ture. On weedy lands cowpeas are
preferable TO soy beans, and on rela
lively poor soil cowpeas will do bet
ter if the crop is sown broadcast
When cultivated the soy beans viii
yield greater return than the COW
peas.
AS grain producer the soy bean Is
in every way, preferable to the COW
pea as # produces larger yields oil
richer grain and can be harvested
much more easily.
The soy bean finds it's best adapta
ton north Of that OF the cowpea and
! just south of that OF the field bean
Good cowpea and soy bean hay are
fully as valuable feeds, pound fol-
| pound, as red clover hay and very
nearly equal in value to alfalfa and
wheat bran. Herein lies their impor
lance as farm feeds.
A system of agriculture without the
use Of a leguminous crop as a source
OF organic matter and a nitrogen
| gatherer, tends to lessen the pro
ductiyity Of the soil and make neces
sary large outlays for heterogeneous fer
/ tilizers, nitrogen being by long odds
the most expensive element of the
three we obtain when we purchase
complete commercial fertilizers.