206 



THE AGKICULTUKAL NEWS. 



June 27, 1908. 



COWPEAS. 



The cultivation of cowpcas in the Southern States 

 of America has hirgel}' increased of late years, and since 

 the value of the crop, not only for the production of 

 forage and pasturage, but also as a means of soil 

 improvement, is becoming more and mort' recognized, 

 there will, no doubt, be further extensions in the area 

 devoted to the crt)p. The price of cowpca seed, how- 

 e\'er, has of late advanced very considrrablv, and until 

 the supply of seed becomes more plentiful, growers are 

 somewhat handicapped. 



Faniiir.i' Hull) tin -US, liitelv i.ssued by tlje I'liited 

 States Department of Agriculture, dcal.s with the whole 

 que.stion of cowpea culture, the best varieties, and the 

 different methods of titilizing the produce. The crop is des- 

 cribed as the legume which has proved of the most value for 

 use in rotation with cotton and sugar in the Southern States, 

 and as one which can be depended on to succeed on practically 

 all types of soil. Its growth, too, ])rovides an excellent 

 means of increasing tlir iiroduction of live .-^tdck, which 

 is very essential in Mvuring the niaxinuini returns in any 

 .system of agriculture. 



In some parts of the Stales cowpeas are often rciijied 

 and made into ha_y, wliii-h is fully as valuable as red clover 

 hay. More frequently, however, the produce is used for 

 forage or fed as pasturage, and it is for these puri)o.ses, as 

 well as for the enrichment of the .soil, that the cro]> can be 

 recommended for nioi-e extensive cultivation in the U'cst 

 Indies. 



If it is inlmdrd to nlilizr tlir croii as fodilrr, the cow- 

 peas may either \>v grown alone, or as a nuxture with sorghum 

 or maize, etc. The latter serve to support the cowpea vines, 

 and as the result of their inclusion, there is an increased 

 yield of [)rodu(.-c. Tlie amount of seed re(|uired per acre is 

 1 bushel of cowpeas, nuxed with from .', to 1 Imsliel of maize 

 or .sorghum seed. When <-ow]jcas are grown alone, about '1 

 bushels of seed per acre arc reipiircd. 



A cowpea ci-ii|] is sonielimes used f<ii' pasturage |ini'poses, 



although this nietlioil i,\ utilization is not the most ei-i nd 



cab The l)est tinu' to hegin pasturing is when the first |]ods 

 are ripe, hi a I'eeding trial at the Alabama .\gricultural 

 lixperiment Station, it was found that pigs fed on eoiii alone 

 gained O'.'iB lli. daily, while pigs (m cowpea pasture and corn 

 gained 0'97 lb. daily, at the same time consuming ."id pei- cent, 

 less corn foi- each pound of gain. 



I'articulars are given in tlii' pani|>ldel ef feeding triids 

 with this crop carried out at several Agric'ultural Stations in 

 the States, ami although in all the cases mentioned the 

 laoduee was fed as hay, and not as green foiage. the results 

 Wear ample evidence to the high feeding value of the cowpea 

 vines. If a fair amount of ])eas is jjresent the initritive 

 value is of cour.se considerablj- increa.sed. Under these 

 circumstances it is stated that cow|)ea hay, fed alone, forms 

 a satisfactory ration for working stock, as well as for cattle, 

 sheep, and even hogs. IManters in the sugar-cane districts of 

 L(nn.siana claim that Imrses and mules stand hot weather 

 lictter when fed on cowpca hay than wlien fed on grass hay 

 and corn. When comparcil with an eijual weight of wheat 

 bran as a constituent in the ration of nutle.s, cowpea hay 

 proved a superior food, as well as being cheaper in cost. 



As a result of the [)roperty, jto.sses.sed by cowpeas in 

 cmamon with other leguminous croj)S, of being able to fake- 

 up nitrogen troin the air by means of the bacteria which livi' 

 in the nodules on the roots, the growth of the crop forms an 

 excellent means of soil enrichment. 'I'he physical condition 



of the soil is also largely improved as a result of the addition 

 of the large amount of humus formed by the decay of the 

 roots. Although it is only in special cases that it is advis- 

 able to utilize cowpeas as green n;anure, yet on very poor, 

 sandy land, or on stiff, heavy clay s(>ils in bad mecllanical 

 condition, a crop of cowpeas i)l(aighed undei- will give mark- 

 edly benehcial results. Cowpeas are largely grown in rotation 

 with cotton in the Southern States, and also with the .sugar- 

 cane in Louisiana. In a system of cropping in general use 

 among cotton i)lanter.s, the land is, for three years in succession 

 ]ilanted with cotton, the fourth year in corn and cowpeas, 

 <uid then in cotton again for three years. The Alabama Agri- 

 cultui-al Experiment Station reports an increase of yield in 

 one case of G96 It), of seed-cotton to the acre, or 83 per cent., 

 as the result of ploughing under a crop of cowpea vines on 

 land which had been in cotton in the previous season. 



I'l-actically tie same plan of rotation is reported as 

 lieing followed in the sugar-cane districts of Louisiana. 

 Three crops of cane are taken off the land, and the fourth 

 year, it is i)lanted to cowpeas, or to corn and cowpeas. The 

 working stock are fed almost exclusively on pea-vine hay or 

 are grazed on cowpeas in the field. 



There are a large uundier of different varieties of cow- 

 peas grow-n, but oidy a few of these are extensively cultivated, 

 for forage puriioses the most desirable varieties are those wduch 

 have a fairly upright habit, grow to a large size, hold their leaves 

 well, and produce an abundance of pods. The most valuable 

 kinds are the AVhippfjorwill (also known as Eunning Speckled, 

 lluui'li Speckled or Shinney), the Unknown or Wonderful, the 

 New lira, and the Iron. The crop is one which takes 

 a peiiod of two months or slightly more, to reach maturity. 

 For forage purposes, the produce would be a\ailable in rather 

 less time. 



COFFEE GROWING IN HAWAII. 



Now that bJrazil is j)rodiicing cotfee on such an 

 enormous scale, the cultivation of the crop in other 

 countries is necessarily becoming less remunerative, and 

 probably this fact accounts for the falling-otf^ in the 

 exports of coffee from Hawaii, mentioned in the follow- 

 ing note taken fro!!) the rc]>ort, for 1 nO(i-7, of tliC British 

 Constil at Moiuilulu; — 



The centre of the cotfce-raising industry of the territory 

 is situated on the island of Hawaii, though the crop is 

 also grown on Maui and t)ahu. The totid ontjuit of the 

 islands has been estimated at about 3,000,000 lb., of which 

 foin-lifths conic from the districts of Kona on the .southern 

 side of Hawaii. Coffee is grown in the Kona district at 

 elevations ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 feet, the temjicrature 

 averaging from -Lt" F. to 90 !•'. After two years' growth of the 

 plants a crop of from .5 to 12 bags per acre of cleaned cotfee 

 can usually be obtained. After three years' growth, at the 

 end of which time the trees are fully matured, the yield is 

 from 8 to 20 bags. Cotfee ripens in Hawaii between tJie 

 months of Scptend>er and .Jamiary, and there are two princi- 

 jial pidcings. .\fter the proces.ses of i)ulping and nulling, the 

 higher grades are picked over by hand, and all discoloured 

 and defective beans removed. The coffee is then packed iu 

 100 lb. bags, and is ready for shipment. The export of the 

 product has shown a steady falliug-otf during the pa.st few 

 years. For the fiscal year eiuling June 30, 1907. the value 

 of the coffee exports from Hawaii was ,£28,940, which is, how- 

 ever, little more than half the value (if the exports of the 

 preceding yeai'. 



