THE COW PEA. 57 



The beggarweed has the advantage of being a volun- 

 teer, springing up with crowfoot and crabgrass after other 

 crops have been laid by or harvested, and then it makes 

 good fall grazing. It has no merit at the north, is of very 

 little value for hay, and thrives only on the sandy soils in 

 the extreme south. 



Vetch and crimson clover are both annual winter grow- 

 ing legumes of value within their individual and limited 

 spheres. Where they flourish, there are no better winter 

 growing forage and fertilizing crops, and each is often used 

 to precede or follow a cow pea crop. Unfortunately 

 neither can be grown over a very wide extent of territory. 



The velvet bean makes a more vigorous growth than the 

 cow pea, its vines often reaching 75 to 100 feet in length. 

 It grows on a variety of soils, but to mature requires the 

 whole of a very long season. North of latitude 31 degrees, 

 that is, beyond the Gulf region, it seldom ripens seed. Two 

 crops of early cow peas can be grown in less time than one 

 crop of this bean. Where it grows naturally, it makes 

 good grazing, and is, perhaps, the best crop where the sum- 

 mer growth is to be left on the surface of the ground as a 

 winter covering, but it is difficult to make it into hay, and 

 practically impossible to plough it under green. 



The cow pea makes as good hay or pasturage as any 

 other legume; its fertilizing effect on the soil is not ex- 

 celled ; it is hardier and can be grown on a greater variety 

 of soils, under greater extremes of climate and over a wider 

 extent of territory, and can better fill the place as a "catch 



