No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 479 



tory for the different purposes. This field pea does not differ iu 

 appearance nor characteristics from the ordinary garden pea. It 

 thrives well in the more northern States, only in the cool moist 

 weather of early spring and late fall, and for this reason is not 

 adapted to sections eoutli of the middle States, and its use as a cover 

 crop, or for green manure is limited for this reason, as well as to 

 the fact that it does not grow well except on good soils. Still, there 

 are occasions when its use will meet conditions not provided for so 

 well by other plants. For example, it nmy be seeded in September, 

 or even early October, periods too late for the seeding of other 

 legumes, and because of its rapid growth makes a crop before freez- 

 ing w'eather; the crop serving as a mulch during the winter, pre- 

 venting the wasting of sandy soils due to high winds, and the accum- 

 ulated nitrogen and organic matter provide readily available plant 

 food for spring sown crops. It has proved of great advantage in 

 many lines of farming, where the crops are not removed early enough 

 to permit the seeding of crimson clover, or other leguminous crop. 

 It should be seeded at the earliest possible time in spring, and in 

 fall, not earlier than September 1st, at the rate of one-half to two 

 bushels per acre, and the seed well covered, preferably two to four 

 inches. 



Cow Peas. 



The cow i)ea is probably neither a pea or a bean, as it differs 

 widely from both, still it belongs to the same family, as do the clo- 

 vers and field peas. Its origin is authoritatively stated to be the east, 

 where it has been cultivated for thousands of years; it is believed 

 to have been introduced into this country in the early part of the 

 eighteenth century. Its best development is found in warm cli- 

 mates, hence in this country it has found a congenial home in the 

 southern States, where it reaches its maximum development. A 

 large number of varieties have, however, been developed which are 

 adapted to cooler conditions, so that now it is well distributed even 

 throughout the north, where it is proving itself one of the best an- 

 siuals, and its adaptation to various uses and the rapid and large de- 

 velopment of plant, make it one of the most useful of the legumes 

 for soil improvement. 



Varieties. 



The natural tendency of the plant toward variation has resulted 

 in a large number of varieties, though the permanent and distinct 

 ones are comparatively few; the same variety is given a different 

 name in different parts of the country, as, for example, one variety 

 goes under the name of Unknown, Wonderful and Quadi'oon. In 

 addition to the confusion arising from this practice. The selection 

 of a variety is still further complicated by giving the same name to 



