MILLET — COWPEA. 47 



oxeellent hay plant. It sliould Ix* <-ut l)et\veeii the time of headinj^ out 

 aiul that of late hh)oiu, for if cut too early the hay is too laxative in 

 its cti'eet and if eut too late the seed has injurious effeets, especially 

 upon hoi"ses. The hay is succulent and re(|uii"«'s more time to cure 

 than does timothy. At)out one-half bushel of seed per acre is used. 

 Dirt'erent varieties are caUed lluii»,airian <^ras.s, German millet, 8il)erian 

 millet, etc. 



In the pasturin^i" tests (see Bulletin <ii> of the Nel)raska Hxperiment 

 Station) millet ,i,^ave eio-hteen and a half days' pasturage for one cow 

 and was available at the same time as sor*,dium. Katircorn, andcowi)eas. 

 "It did not have as favorable an etlect uj)on the milk Hou or butter fat 

 production as did any of those crops or as did tlu^ mixinl w-rasses." 



Hrooni-corn millet {Punicinn niHidrcuiii) is a different species, some- 

 times called ho^- millet. This uives t^ood results in the Dakotas and 

 other Northern States and also promises well for Nebraska. In 1!»03, 

 a one-half acre plot of Red Orenburg- (S. P. I. 1M28) sown June VI and 

 cut August 1") yielded at the rate of /i,2ot) pounds of hay to the acre. 



CoWl'EA. 



Cowpea {Vigna aifjatuj) is an amuial legume which has been grown 

 in oriental countries for an indefinite period. It is now one of the 

 standard forage plants of the South, l)eing extensively cultivated as an 

 annual suuuuer crop for hay, pasture, and green manure. During 

 recent years its range has been steadily pushed northward, until now 

 it is grown with more or less sut-cess as far north as Wisconsin and 

 New York. There are a large number of varieties, ditiering greatly in 

 their method of growth, time necessar}' to reach maturity, hardiness, 

 and many other characters that affect the adaptability to conditions. 



Although one of the standard hay plants of the South, it is not 

 adapted for hay in Nebraska. It is difficult to cure and can not com- 

 pete with alfalfa and clover. It is an excellent soiling plant, but under 

 present conditions of agriculture it is not likely to be needed for this 

 purpose in Nel)raska" in the near future, except possibly on a small 

 scale in dairy districts. It is not well adapted for silage on account of 

 its succulence,- but has been used in this way wdien mixed with other 

 plants. (See Circular 24 of the Division of Agrostology, U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture.) 



The chief field of usefulness of the cowpea in Nebraska is for pasture 

 during the autumn. The seed must be sown when the ground is well 

 warmed, which in Nebraska may not be until June. Although late 

 varieties, which produce no pods in this State, can be utilized for for- 

 age, j'Ct the plant gives best returns when the pods are forming. 

 Hence, those varieties should be grown which mature at least a part of 

 the seed before frost. This is especially advisable, because of the high 

 price of seed. Where adaptability to climate is so important as in the 



