LEGUMINOUS PLANTS FOR FORAGE 237 



354. Bur clovers. The southern or spotted bur clover (Medicago ara- 

 bica) and California or toothed bur clover (M. hispida) are winter 

 annuals that furnish valuable pasturage in mild regions. The former, 

 which is the hardier, is found chiefly in the southern states, and the 

 latter in California and Texas. They are admirable supplements to 

 Bermuda pasture, furnishing feed when that grass is resting and re- 

 seeding unless grazed too closely. (320) Even on land where summer 

 cultivated crops are grown, bur clover, if once sown, volunteers in the 

 fall. Cauthen of the Alabama Station 31 states that tho not commonly 

 so used it may be seeded for hay with fall grain. 



355. The common field-pea vine. The common field pea, Pisum 

 sativum f var. arvense f the use of which as a grain crop has already 

 been discussed (261), is grown in Canada and the northern states to 

 some extent for forage. A combination of peas and oats, if cut early, 

 makes nutritious hay, well liked by all classes of stock. Oats and peas 

 make good silage, if not ensiled until the oats are in the late dough stage 

 and the peas have hardened. The combination is frequently sown as a 

 spring soiling crop, especially for dairy cows, or as pasturage, chiefly for 

 swine. In some of the irrigated valleys of the Rocky Mountain region 

 field peas, usually with a small quantity of oats or barley, are sown 

 extensively and grazed when nearly mature by sheep and pigs. (860, 988) 

 In the grain which the field pea furnishes and the hay and silage which 

 it is possible to secure from it, the stockman located far north has a 

 fair compensation for the corn crop which he cannot grow. 



356. Pea-cannery refuse. Formerly the bruised pea vines and empty 

 pods from the pea canneries were used only for manure. The value of 

 this rich by-product for stock-feeding has now been abundantly demon- 

 strated, and it is usually preserved in silos or in large stacks, where the 

 decaying exterior preserves the mass within. The silage has a strong 

 odor but is relished by all farm animals, especially dairy cows, fattening 

 cattle, and sheep. (870) By spreading cannery waste out thinly on a 

 plat where the grass is short, it may be cured into hay worth, according 

 to Crosby, 32 20 per ct. more than clover hay, but this involves more 

 labor than placing it in the silo. 



357. Cowpea, Vigna sinensis. This hot weather annual is the most 

 important legume in the cotton-belt, furnishing grain for humans and 

 animals (262), tho chiefly grown for forage and green manure. Its 

 especial value lies in the fact that it will grow on all types of soil and 

 with but little attention, increasing the fertility of the land and furnish- 

 ing rich hay, pasturage, soilage, and silage. This vine-like plant does 

 not mature in a definite time, but continues to bear pods and put forth 

 new leaves during a long period. Sown at corn planting or later, early 

 varieties mature the first pods in 70 to 90 days. The crop may be then 

 cut for hay, or the harvesting considerably delayed without loss. Cow- 

 peas yield from 1 to 3 tons of excellent hay per acre, which is equal to 

 red clover or alfalfa in value and is an excellent roughage for horses, 



M Ala. Bui. 165. U. S. Dept Agr., Bur. Plant Indus., Cir. 45. 



