lo Nov., 1908.] 



Coiv-Peas. 



653 



inches; pods about 9 inches long, fleshy, containing 12 to 18 large peas, 

 kidneyshaped, brown mottled. 



A Strong Plea for Their Culture. 

 Cow-pea plants grow vigorously until they commence bearing, then 

 slowly until April, when they start a second growth, throwing^out branches 

 with a running habit, soon forming a densely-matted mass of rich, succu- 

 lent herbage suitable for fodder, ensilage, or green manure. The plants 

 are specially suitable for making into stack ensilage, which may be done 

 in the paddock where grown, thus reducing labour, bringing ensilage- 

 making wathin the scope of any small farmer, and thereby inducing that 

 class to adopt the making of ensilage regularly. When ploughed under, 

 for green manure, the soft, sappy mass rots very quickly, so that any other 

 crop may be sown almost immediately. It is this quality, of speedily 

 breaking up in the soil, due to the luxuriance of its second growth, which 

 constitutes much of the value of cow-peas for manurial purposes. It has 

 been claimed for this plant that, under favorable conditions, two sowings 



cow PEAS. 



can be grown successively in one season, which further heightens its value 

 for restoring humus to hungry and worn-out soils. It also o-ives a heavy 

 dressing of nitrogen to the soil, which benefits the following crop, and 

 even when the plants have been cut for fodder, the remainder, -when 

 ploughed under, is much more useful than the dry stubble of any other 

 crop. Cow-peas should be sown as early in spring as possible, but where 

 there is danger from hard frosts, sowings may be delayed until later. They 



