The Springdale news. [volume] (Springdale, Ark.) 1887-1990, 1916-04-28
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. 50 that at times it is
question which one should be used.
Although there are many varieties OF
each which vary great deal, soy
beans and cowpeas may be compared
In general way. Soy beans grow
upright, do not have the vining 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
beans withstand frost and dry wealth
Or 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 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
arst time incubation of the soil is Of
ten necessary, which is not true of
the cowpea. Soy beans are usually
heavy seed producers, and, although
,hey pop out badly when ripe, they
will lay on the ground for long time
without growing. and may be picked
up by grazing hogs.
There are many varieties of cow
peas, but only few are grown ex-
tensively among which are Whippoor-
will, New Era, Iron, Brabham, Clay,
Red Ripper and Blackeye. The Iron
and Brabham are resistant to wilt
and to root-knot, and should be grown
where these diseases are prevalent.
Among the soy beans, the ones most
con monty handled in a commercial
way are the Ito San, Medium Yellow,
Haberlandt, Hollybrook and Nam
moth Yellow, although there are sew
eral other splendid varieties The
little Ito San is extremely early, ma
turing seed in about seyenty-five days.
The Mammoth Yellow is the latest of
them all but will mature seed if not
planted too late in the summer.
The method of planting these crops
depends upon the use that is to be
made of them. For pasturing off they
may be planted in the corn row at
the second working, by broadcasting
or drilling between the rows at the
last working, or by making the rows
of corn wide apart and planting a
row of eowpeas or soy beans between
them. The yield of corn is not de-
creased much, il any, and the addi-
tional pasture is source of profit.
When seeded alone, soy beans should
be planted in rows and cultivated,
while cowpeas will shade the ground
sufficiently to 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
to 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 hrosdee~s-4
"a urllleu thickly, although the
amount may be little lighter for
those varieties that have the smaller
seeds.
One or both of the crops should be
grown on evern farm in the South
because they are not only profitable
from feed standpoint, but they play
big part in keeping up the fertility
of the soil. For every ton, dry
weight, or crop grown on average soil
at least 5000 worth Of nitrogen will
be taken 50 up
IN the soil and the plant, or as much
as would be added in 1,600 pounds OF
ordinary S-2-2 fertilizer.
Tests show shat the roots of these
plants constitute only about 10 per
cent of the whole, so that the great
est amount of fertility can be secured
only by pasturing them off on the
soil, by turning them under, or by
feeding and returning the manure. A
relatively small amount of vegetable
matter will be left in the soil if the
crop is cut for hay and removed