104 FIELD AND GARDEN PRODUCTS 



ment Station, an increase in yield of 63 per cent with oats and 49 

 per cent with wheat following cowpeas as a catch crop was secured. 

 The Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station reports as the aver- 

 age of a four years' test on wheat an increase of 25 per cent from 

 plowing under cowpea stubble the first fall, 39 per cent from plow- 

 ing under cowpea vines, and 42 per cent where cowpeas were grown 

 each year as a catch crop between the wheat crops, only the stubble 

 of the peas being plowed under. The increased yield in the latter 

 case amounted to 70 per cent in the fourth season, the yields hav- 

 ing gradually increased from year to year, in addition to producing 

 a fair quantity of very nutritious hay each season. 



On farms where more or less live stock is produced the follow- 

 ing three-year rotation is very popular and is a good one: First 

 year, cotton; second year, corn with cowpeas at last cultivation; 

 third year, winter oats or wheat, with a catch crop of cowpeas for 

 hay or seed after the grain has been removed. 



VARIETIES OF COWPEAS. 



There are at present about 50 varieties of cowpeas generally 

 known, but only a few of the best of these are extensively cultivated. 

 The varieties differ in such characters as habit, size, earliness, pro- 

 lificness, disease resistance, and especially in the color of the seeds, 

 which are either entirely white, red, buff, black, or blue, or vari- 

 ously blotched or speckled. The varieties are all very constant in 

 their seed characters. The variation in vines, however, is very 

 marked, being influenced by the time of planting, the nature of the 

 season, and the locality where grown. Early planting or a wet 

 season usually results in a large growth of vines. Natural crosses 

 between the varieties occur under favoring conditions, but they are 

 far from common. The use to be made of the crop by the grower 

 should determine largely which variety to select. 



For table use the varieties with white or nearly white seeds are 

 preferred, as they make a more attractive dish. The habit of growth 

 of the table peas is of little direct concern, and, as a matter of fact, 

 none of them is very satisfactory for forage purposes. The prin- 

 cipal varieties are the Blackeye, of which there are several strains, 

 the Browneye, the Lady, and the Cream. These are more properly 

 considered vegetables. Several of the colored-seeded varieties are 

 also used as table peas. 



For forage purposes the most desirable varieties are those which 

 have a fairly upright habit, grow to large size, hold their leave* 

 well, and produce an abundance of pods. Descriptions of the most 

 important varieties follow. Of the numerous remaining varieties 

 none is grown to a very large extent, and most of them are distinctly 

 inferior to those described here. 



Whippoorwill. This is known under several other names, 

 such as Running Speckled, Bunch Speckled, and Shinney. It may 

 be considered the standard of all field cowpeas. It is suitable either 

 for grain or hay production, or both. It makes a vigorous growth, 

 is fairly erect, and still produces a large amount of vine. It can 

 readily be handled by machinery, which is bringing it more and 



