LEGUMINOUS CROPS 75 



expose the beans to the direct rays of the sun after the soil 

 is added. Sunlight will kill the bacteria in the soil. 



COWPEAS 



Cowpeas and vetches are the main leguminous crops for 

 poor soils. Cowpeas have the power to extract plant food 

 from land that is too poor for the profitable growing of such 

 crops as clover, alfalfa or even soy beans. They will grow 

 without inoculation on new land which is something that 

 most legumes will not do. The bacteria of this legume seem 

 to be present in nearly all soils. While cowpeas will grow 

 on most soils they are better adapted to sandy types than to 

 heavier black soils. In other words, the cowpea will do for 

 light sandy soils what the soy bean does for heavier soils. 

 For this reason we have grown soy beans in preference to 

 cowpeas on our own lands, which are a black retentive loam. 

 The western part of Mason County is quite sandy. On this 

 soil cowpeas grow to perfection and find a place in the crop 

 rotation of all the well regulated .farms. 



Cowpeas are largely grown in the Cotton States of the 

 South. It is safe to say that no one plant can add more to 

 the agricultural wealth of the South than the more exten- 

 sive growing of cowpeas. A common practice in the South 

 is to grow cowpeas between the rows of corn, thereby enrich- 

 ing the land and doubling the value of the stalk fields for 

 pasture. 



Culture: The seed bed for cowpeas should be prepared 

 in the same manner as for soy beans. While the seed and 

 young plant is more hardy than those of soy beans, good 

 preparation will pay big returns. Cowpeas should be sown 

 late in the North, after all danger of frost is over. It is 

 best to double disc well just before sowing in order to kill 

 all weeds. 



