Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1916-04-08
COWPEAS FOR HAY AND FOR
SEED.

Very often a question arises as to
what variety of cowpeas is best for
hay or for seed The following de-
hay help someone to solve this prob
lem. Too often 1t is settled by plant
ing the kind of seed the farmer has
on hand. or the kind that are availa-
BILE in the nearest market.
There is a great deal of difference
in the seed yield of some of the COM
mon varieties. The bunch and semi
bunch varieties usually yield more
peas than the running varieties. and
the peas are also more easily picked.
If the bunch varieties like New Era
or Croft are planted in drills and cul
tivated level the harvesting may be
done with self-rake reaper or a
mower with punching attachment,
and thereby avoid the expensive
method of haid-picking. The vine va
rieties cannot be successful harvested
| by machinery.
For hay production the vine or
semi-vine varieties yield the largest
tonnage per acre. But where there
IS much vine ENHANCEMENT the diff
Guilty OF handling the mower and in
curing and housing the hay greatly
increases the cost of its production.
Semi-yine varieties, like the Iron and
the Rrabham, while they do not pro-
duce as much hay per acre as the
full vine varieties. aer much more
easily harvested and housed.
| The New Era variety. as reported
by several southern experiment sta
| tions, has led for years in seed pro-
duction. yielding from II to 40 BUSH
els per acre. 1t is bushy compact
variety, small and very prolific. 1t is
probably the earliest of the common
varieties, ripening in about so days
after planting. Seeds of the New Era
are small and sprinkled thickly with
tiny blue specks.
The Croft, a variety obtained by
crossing the Ned Fra with Whippoor
WILL is meeting with good favor. The
seed shows the coloration of both
parents, and it has the good size Of
the Whippoorwill combined with tho
prolific punching characteristic OF
the New Era.
AS a combination for both hay and
seed. the Whippoorwill has not been
surpassed. Its seeds are distinguished
with brown specks. If the first ripe
pods are picked from the vines they
will make a second crop if the vines
are healthy and the season is not toe
far advanced.
The iron pea is a comparativel,
= new variety. 1t is a semi-bush variet,
, and is very easy to NOW. The seeds
uTe dHeuldi, Dull w Coioi anu al
very hard One of the best advan
9 tages of this variety is that its pod!
1 Withstand bad weather and will holC
5 together eevn IL the harvest is yer,
much delayed. However, this variet.
is not recommended for seed pro
;. duction, but ranks high as hay pro
ducer. This variety is immune t
nematode injury and pea wilt.
Al The Brabham is a cross between tn
Iron and Whippoorwill It's seeds re
semble those of the Whippoorwill, an
III the vines resemble those of the Iron
This variety has the immunity of it
parent TO roo knot and wilt and viii
ii produce exceedingly well on lands In
ii Tested with these diseases.
II For hay and for soil improvement
| the Red Ripped variety stands anon
ii those at the head of the lists. 1t
rather difficult to harvest an accoun
of its vines mating on the grounc
III But when crop of these has bee
II turned under you may be sure you
soil has been immcasurably improved
Its seeds are larger than any OF tn
III others mentioned above, and are
deep maroon in color.
III IL you wish to grow peas to plaC
on the market for the table, there
no better variety to select than tn
Blackeye. 1t is no trick at all to pre-
duce green peas in abundance If 20
will use acclimated seed of this va
riety. Or the peas may be allowed
dry, and when shelled Will bring a
attractive price any time. And 1t
best to use acclimated seed or any
the varieties named above. All {
them are standard.