64 PEAS AND PEA CULTURE 



size, bluish-black in color, and if not pastured too 

 close it will reseed the ground every year. The 

 Red Ripper is a medium-size pea of dark red color, 

 and possesses good quality, like the King. Both of 

 these varieties make a large yield of hay or feed, 

 as they are heavy, even producers. They are more 

 rank than the Iron, Crowder, New Era, Whippoor- 

 will, or Black Eye. The Speckled Java is the largest 

 of the cowpea family, but must be harvested as 

 soon as ripe, as the seed will shell easily. The 

 Brown Crowder is said to be a good general purpose 

 pea. The earliest cowpea, and hence the one best 

 adapted to northern latitudes, is the New Era. It 

 matures in a little more than 60 days from time of 

 planting. The Georgia experiment station says the 

 heaviest yielder of vines is Red Ripper, followed 

 closely by Forage or Shiny Black, and Unknown ; 

 the heaviest producers of peas are Unknown, Cal- 

 ico, Clay, and White Brown Hull. Cowpeas are 

 attacked by the weevils, the same as are field peas. 

 Treatment is similar. 



Cover Crop for Orchards. Peas alone, and in 

 combination with oats and barley, have been used 

 advantageously as a cover crop in orchards. Peas 

 and oats can be sown early in the spring and plowed 

 under when the oats are in bloom. The land can be 

 thoroughly harrowed, and August I peas and barley 

 sown. The latter crop is left to stand through the win- 

 ter, and plowed under the succeeding spring. Beach 

 and Close 9 speak of Canada peas and buckwheat, 

 and blue peas and buckwheat, as cover crops. Both 

 combinations gave satisfactory results. The growth 



9 N. Y. Exper. Sta. Rpt, 1896. 



