8 



COWPEA HAY FROM STUBBLE LAND, 



It ma}^ be of interest and some benefit to Southern stockmen and 

 planters to recount here the experience of the writer in growing a catch 

 crop of pea hay from stubble land. The wheat was taken off as early 

 as possible after harvest, and in June the land was turned and well 

 harrowed and rolled, the season being favorable for such work. 

 Whip-poor-will peas, a bushel to the acre, were sown with an ordinary 

 wheat drill. The seed being defective, the stand was not good, but 

 the growth was rapid and promised a rich crop of grain. As harvest 

 time approached the thought occurred to the writer that, while there 

 might be a medium-sized crop of good ha}^ secured from the land, cut 

 and put awa}^ in the usual manner, there should be more of the grain 

 saved and utilized than is possible when the crop is handled as ordi- 

 nary hay, knowing from past observation that nuich, if not most, of 

 the grain is scattered and lost by the time the ha}^ reaches the feed 

 manger. If peas are to be our dependence in the future, in the 

 absence of clover, we must discover the best method of reaping the 

 greatest benefit from their production. The crop was permitted to 

 stand before cutting a few da3"s longer than it would have been for 

 making hay, so as to give a greater proportion of the pods time to 

 ripen. It was then cut with a mower and let lie in the hot sun thirty- 

 six hours, when it was thrown into light windrows with a haja-ake, the 

 raking being done after sunset, sometimes by moonlight, when the 

 plant was tough, to avoid shattering the leaves and grain. After 

 remaining in the windrows twent3^-four hours, it was thrown into small 

 cocks and left exposed to the sun and air for thirty -six hours longer, 

 when it was loaded on wagons and taken to the barn. No thrasher 

 suitable for the work being available, the crop was run through the 

 silage cutter. The cutter had a shredder attachment, but this, requir- 

 ing too much speed, was removed and the cutter knives used as with 

 silage. To save the thrashed peas separately from the stover was 

 the next problem encountered. For this purpose a section 8 feet long 

 was cut out of the bottom of the carrier and a suitable wire screen 

 tacked in place of the solid bottom, which allowed the peas to drop 

 through into a wagon bed on the ground underneath, while the pea 

 stover was carried on up 36 feet into the barn loft, where it was well 

 scattered and mixed with other drj^^ feed. 



The peas were damaged but little in the process, and after being 

 run through a hand pea cleaner were spread out on a granary floor to 

 dry a few days before sacking. The hay was not so good as it would 

 have been if cut earlier, but this was more than counterbalanced by the 

 money value of the peas secured, which was greater than the value of 

 the wheat crop just removed. The land was much benefited by the 

 growth of the peas, and required only the doubling of the disk harrow 



