The weekly tribune and the Cape County herald. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1918, 1915-03-05
ByW. J. Morse.

grown leguminous crop in the cotton
belt. It's value for hay, grazing, catch
and cover crops, and for soil improve
ment is we'll known and thoroughly
appreciated by farmers. The feeding
value of the forage has long been rec
ognized, and it is used for all kinds of
live stock. Cowpea hay has higl
percentage Of digestible protein and i
fully as valuable for feed as red-clover
hay. AS a green-manure crop this
plant greatly increases the humus and
nitrogen content of the soil. The
seeds 0 fthe cowpea are also common
ly employed for human food, being
used in the pod, shelled green, and
shelled dried.
On a very large proportion of the
area planted to cowpeas no effort is
made to harvest the seed. Moreover
a large percentage of the seed harvest
ed is picked by hand. Under these con-
ditionS the increased culture of the
cowpea has brought about a high
price of seed, which without doubt has
retarded a greater use of the crop.
The demand for seed of well-known
varieties has kept the price in recent
years SO high as to make cowpea seed
production a most profitable line of
farming. The harvesting of seed by
machinery is now carried on very sue
cessfuliy IN several communities. Lo-
caIities well suited to the production
Of cowpea seed will find it highly
profitable to grow seed on a large
scale, especially if the best machinery
for handling the crops is employed.
The cowpea can be depended upon
to succeed on practically all types Of
well-drained soils, thriving on poorer
soils than most other cultivated lc-
gumes. A soil of medium fertility i
considered best for the production O.
this crop. Sandy and sandy-loam soils
are most suitable for seed production,
while the heavier soils produce more
herbage and less seed. The best re-
suits on soils of rather low fertility
will be had by applying 300 to acc
pounds of acid phosphate and leo
pounds of potash to the acre.
Although the cowpea will grow un-
der rather unfavorabIe conditions C
soil preparation, the best results are
= be obtained on well-prepared land
The same preparation and cultivation
ordinarily practiced for corn are re-
commended for cowpeas.
Planting should be done when T."
soil is warm and not too wet, rs t.o
iced will then terminate very readily.
Very early paintings require a CREATE
length Of time for maturity than late
paintings and are of advantage only
where the crop is to be used for soil
ing, green manuring, Or pasturing
Cowpeas may be planted as late {
midsummer for hay or green manur0
The method Of planting depends up
III the purpose for which the crop Is
grown. For the production of seeu
the best practice is to plant in rows
about SO inches apart, using from q
20 80 pounds of seed to the acre.
When the crop is to be used for for
age or soil improvement, a broadcast
ed or drilled crop is preferable, using
from 60 to 80 pounds of seed to the
acre. In regions Of light rainfall thin
planting is recommended. Where
there is ample moisture thicker plant
ng is desirable. A cotton planter may
)e used in row paintings, or, if avail
bic, a grain drille, the width Of rows
icing spaced by covering the feed
cups not to be used. Cultivation SHOULD
begin as soon as the plants appear
above the ground, and the crop should
receive at least three civilizations.
The time of harvesting depends pri-
marily upon the use to be made of the
crop. For hay, cowpeas should be cut
about the time the first pods begin to
turn yellow. Where seed is the OBJ
iect, cutting should be delayed until
one-fourth or more Of the pods are
mature. In harvesting for seed pro
duction mower with a punching at
tachment is most satisfactory, but the
self-rake can be used to advantage.
Thrashing may be done at any time
after the pods are Thoroughly dry.
When grown in quantity and picked,
the pods are commonly thrashed with
pea huller. When the crop has been
cured like hay it may be thrashed with
an ordinary grain thrasher by remov-
ing some of the concaves and running
the cylinder at low and even speed
(abOut 500 revolutions a minute) to
prevent splitting the peas. Special
pea and bean separators are now on
the market and do excellent work. In
localities favorable for seed prOduc-
ton an investment by several growers
in special pea separator would be of