FIELD CROPS. 



435 



Orig-iiuil determinations aro reported oi" the composition of the cot- 

 ton plant at 5 dili'erent stages of growth. The following table shows 

 the composition of different parts of the entire mature plant: 



Complete (tnali/sis of (he entire mature cotton plant. 



The fertilizer requirements of cotton as determined by the analysis 

 of the plant are discussed, and a summary is given of the effect on 

 butter of feeding cotton seed and cotton-seed meal (E. S. E,. , 3, p. 6). 



The southern or cotv pea in Delav/are, A. T. 'Neale and W. H. 

 Bishop [Dehtimre Sta. Bui. JiG^ pp. 3-9., 12-2Jf). — Following a popular 

 comparison of the relative merits of crimson clover and cowpeas for 

 culture in Delaware are given some results obtained in cultural, ferti- 

 lizer, and variety tests with this crop. The actual cost of raising" and 

 ensiling l.oT acres of mixed Whippoorwill and Black cowpeas at the 

 station w^as at the rate of $1T.!>2 per acre (including a land rental of 

 $5 per acre) or $1.36 per ton of silage grown. Analysis showed that 

 about 5.25 tons of tlie silage contained more protein, fat, and carl^ohy- 

 drates than a ton of ordinary bran. 



The botany of the cowpea is touched upon and some results obtained 

 in previous fertilizer tests with this crop are (E. S. R., 0, p. S02) given. 

 The varieties most suited for cultivation in Delaware are Whippoor- 

 w^ill. New Era, Black, Clay, Unknown, and Black-eyed. These varie- 

 ties are described and the characteristics of each noted. Twelve other 

 early varieties and 28 late varieties tested at the station are also briefly 

 characterized. New Era has given the largest yields of any of the 

 varieties tested at the station, the average for 2 years being 24,218 lbs. 

 per acre. 



Experiments were made to determine the effect upon plant develop- 

 ment of cowpeas due to geographical differences in the source of the 

 seed and to variation in the amount of seed planted per acre. The 

 seed of a numlaer of varieties was obtained from nearly every Southern 

 State and grown at the station. No evidence was obtained in these 

 tests that seed grown in the far South required any longer season 

 for maturing a crop at the station than the same variety grown some 

 hundreds of miles farther north; and there seems to be some evidence 

 that Delaware grown seed is as good for crop production as that 

 obtained farther south. In 1898 seeding- Whippoorwill peas at the rate 



