Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-05-21

crops. Tillage will often make up for
lack of fertility In the culture Of cow
peas. We therefore recommend that
the crop be planted In rows and rare
~ or never broadcasted as Is COM
mon in the Southern states. Figure
on 10 pounds Of seed per acre when
intercropping and twice that amount
when sown, alone. The RrabhaIn,
Rice and Gnllivant are the smallest
seeded varieties and require less seed
IN planting. The Taylor is the largest
seeded, and requires rather more
seed than above indicated. The seed
Of the other varieties is intermediate
in size. II grown for seed we have
found It most feasible to hand pick
the pods, the cost of which will range
from so cents to 81 per 100 pounds,
depending on yield and variety. About
% per cent Of the weight Of pods is
recovered as seed. When intended
for hay the vine should be cut when
the first pods begin to ripen An ex-
cellent and nutritious hay can be
made from the vine after the pods
have been picked, and the empty pods
themselves are much relished by cat
tie and mules. a. ~ ,~=.e
Although termed a pea, the COW pea
Is much more closely related to the
bean family than peas, both in an.
pearance and adaptation. The COW
pea. is easily the most important le-
guminous crop in southern agricul.
ture, where 1t holds tho same relative
position as does alfalfa in the west,
and rad aloxor- ~ ~. narkl, rS,,k 1sI.s
alfalfa in its onward march, so too
has the COW pea spread until at the
present tine the crop is grown pro-
fitably considerably north of the Ohio
river.
It is little wonder that the COW pea
should have found its way to Hawaii.
But it is somewhat surprising that 1t
Is not yet as well known as is corn,
since both crops thrive and when
grown together form an ideal cropping
combination. While we have attrib-
suted many good qualities to the vel
vet bean and other legIminous forage
crops which are gradually becoming
established in Hawaii's rapidly devel-
.opfng diversified agriculture, we
would place the COW pea In the front
ranks OF the half q dozen leading
leguniss, introduced by the Hawaii
Experiment Station during the past
fifteen years. Since the establish.
ment Of the Demonstration. Farm al
the Haiku Satisfaction in 1913 the COW
pea has entered regularly into our
various cropping schemes, and their
culture Is now an established practise.
During the past year some fifteen
acres were planted to fifteen or more
varieties. Yields Of virgin land that
would not produce twenty-five bushels
OF corn per acre yielded eight tons Of
green forage, equivalent to two and
a half tons Of cow pea hay as nutri-
tious as alfalfa. Peas of superior
quality Of the amount OF eight hun
.dred to fifteen hundred pounds per
acre have been Of common occurrence.
These crops wefe produced for the
most part as intercrops between corn
rows spaced five feet apart. When il
Is further stated that these crops are
produced In from ninety to one hun
dred and forty days, dependent upon
variety and season OF planting, some
OF the more important virtues of the
crop may be appreciated. Considered
only a. o forage or pasture crop, the |
COZ meas chat advantaRa ovor fha