The Nevada County picayune., 1916-05-04
FORAGE CROPS FORARKANSAS
No. 6. cowpeas and Soy Beans.

No 6. Cowpeas and Soy Beans.
 By Earl Fitzpatrick, Extension Agro-
 nomist University of Arkansas.
 The native home of the soy bean and the cowpea is probably central Africa, but both of them have become important crops in many portions of the world. and especially in the cot ton belt of the United States. The seed are used for food for both man and beast. while the vines make splendid pasture or hay.
 The uses Of the plants are nearly the same, so that at times it is q question which one should be used Although there are many varieties Of each which vary a great deal, soy beans and cowpeas may be compared in a general way. Soy beans grow upright, dc not have the yining habit, and mature their seed at about the same time, while many of the COW peas form vines on the ground. tan gle up so that handling is hard. and ripen some seed while blossoms are still forming for other pods Soy beans withstand frost and dry weath- CT somewhat better, and when cut late can be cured for hay more readily because the steam does not contain so much moisture Cowpeas are adapted to a wider type of soils, are likely to make more rapid growth on poor soil, and will shade the ground better and keep down the weeds to a greater degree than soy beans will. Where soy beans are grown for the first time inoculation of the s0l IS of ten necessary. which is not true of the cowpea. Soy beans are usually heavy seed producers, and, although they pop out badly when ripe, they will lay on the ground for a long time without growing. and may be picked up by grazing hogs.
 There are many varieties of COW peas, but only a few are grown ex- tensively, among which are WhippoOr- will, New Era. Iron, Brabham, Clay, Red Ripper and Blackeye The Iron anu Dl dDildtl dl ltSlStdUi NO " llN and to root-knot, and should be grown where these diseases are prevalent.
 Among the soy beans. the ones most commonly handled in a commercial way are the Ito San. Medium Yellow, Haberlandt, Hollybrouk and Nam moth Yellow, although there are sev- eral other splendid varieties The little Ito San is extremely early, ma turing seed in about seyenty-fve days. The Mammoth Yellow is the latest of them all bat will mature seed if not planted too late in the summer.
 The method of planting these crops depends upon the use that is 10 be made of them For pasturine off they may he planted in the corn TOW at the second working, by broadcasting or drlH IFS between the TONS at the last working or by making the rows of corn wide apart and planting a row of coWpeas or soy beans between them The yield of corn fs not de creased much. fl any, and the addi tlonal pasture is a source of profit. When seeded alone, soy beans should be planted in rows and cultivated. while cowpeas will shade tho ground sufficiently 10 keep down the weeds Sorghum is often mixed with cowpeas, especially for hay and for grazing but if cut for hay care must be taken 10 use varieties of each that will be ready to harvest at about the same time for example, the New Era COW pea and the Amber sorghum The usual rate of seeding cowpeas and soy beans is about a peck to the acre in rows or a bushel when broadcasted or drilled thickly although the amount may be a little lighter for hose varieties that have the smaller seeds
 One or both of the crops should be grown on every farm in the South because they are not only profitable from feed standpoint but they play a big part in keeping up the fertility of the soil For every ton dry weight or crop grown on average soil at least S600 worth Of nitrogen will be taken from the air and stored up in the soil and lhe plant or as much aa would be added in l Soc pounds of ordinary S22 fertilizer
 Tests show that the roots of thcsc plants constitute only about 10 per cg.. a. rho Naole so that tho great osg aHamt Of fertility can be secured only by pastuuu- them of on the soil bE 'uruus taem under OF by feeding and re,Urn.ue the manure x relatively smau amount of vegetable matter will bo Jeff m the soil if the crop - out for ba. and removed