The Little River news., 1918-04-13

ohe or the most important forage crops which can be grown by Arkan- sas farmers during the present war cI1SlS IS the cowpea It $ Q general adaptatIon and can be { own on soils ln any part of the state. It is partic- uially valuable as crop to be grown on poor soils since, like other le- Sumes, 1t uses atmospheric nitrogen and improves the soil.
 How and When To pisnS
 The coWpea can be adjusted to any sort of cropping system. Plant cd alone just as soon as the ground warns up in spring it is ready for nay or for grazing by hogs after the middle of July or in early August. Planted following small grain it pro- duces good yield of hay or provides graIng for hogs in carly fall. It's abl- 1ty to resist drouth is well known and tho cowpea fiourishes during the hot test summer weather. Cowpeas may De planted either in rows or broad cast. Seeding in rows is an adyan- 'ase becaus" less seed is requiyad The rows should be 28 to 36 inches cr just wide enough for cultivation, About one-half buslIel of seed to the acre is required, Broadcast seeding at the rate of 60 to 90 pounds to the acre Is an advantage on good land in that no cultivation is necessary. Can Be Planted in Combination With
 Other Crops.
 CoWpeas may be planted in combi- nation with corn and this is especial ly desirable from the standpoint of soil improvement. However, cowpeas grow exceedingly we'll in combination with sorghum and Sudan grass. On good lands the planting of cowpeas in the row with the corn is often prac- ticed to good advantage when the crop is being utilized for livestock. Cowpeas may be planted broadcast in the field when the corn is waist Aigh and make very desirable growth which can be utilized to good adyan. tage by livestock. It i;' a very desir- able practice, especially on the ordi- nary uplands over the state, to p,apr cowpeas between wide rows of corn. Cowpeas do not seem to compete with the corn and good yields of both crops may be secured. For this purpose tho coWpea is an advantage over the soy bean since the cOwpea utilizes most of tho entire season for it's growth. whereas the soy bean reaches matur. ity, leaves falling off and the seed shedding all at one time.
 Varieties To Grow.
 Varieties of cowpeas differ in time of maturity and in manner of growth. Varieties having a bunch habit are de- sirable since they may be cut more easily with a moving machine. There are a number of varieties which are very desirable and suitable for grow. ing in this state. The Brabham and Iron are good varieties since they are wilt resistant The New Era cowpea is medium early variety, especially popular on bottom lands where too much vining of the plants is not de- sirable. The Whippoorwill and Croft are both good seed and forage produ..- CTS under most conditions. Certain strains of black cowpeas are popular because of their late maturity and the fact that the seed can stand out in the weather for sons time without rOtting
 The Soy Bean.
 In addition to the cOwpea the SOY bean should not be forgotten since it is also a legume, grows we'll on prop. erly inoculated soil. increases the nj. trogen content of the soil considera- bly,, fits well into crop rotation and thriveS during the hottest summer weather. It will grow on variety Of soils. Different varieties are grown successfully under the same climatic conditions as corn.
 Prepare Seed Bed We'll
 The seed bed for the SOY bean must te well prepared and planting can be done any time after the severe frOsts gre over until July l.
 Varieties For Seed Production.
 The Mammoth Yellow IS the most common variety grown in this state. It is late in time of maturity and pro duces well of both seed and forage. The Mammoth Yellow has large vel low seeds with high oil content and 10 huch in demand for paint manutact- ure. .Othervarieties such as the Haber. 'andt and Medium Yellow have seeds similar in appearance but are earlier in maturing and make lighter growth of forage. Other varieties very suit able for feed and forage production. but not so commonly grown. are th~ Virginia, Arlington, Wilson and Pc. king. These varieties have somewha. finer stems than the Mammoth and are an advantage for forage produc- lion
 When harvesting soy beans for
 o,,t vf1y whan