COWPEAS 497 



is also called Shinney and Speckled. It has been known 

 in the United States for at least seventy years. 



Iron. This variety became known first from Barnwell 

 County, South Carolina, in 1888. It is especially valuable 

 on account of its immunity to rootknot and wilt. The 

 seeds are rhomboid, buff in color, decidedly angular, and 

 harder than most cowpeas. It is perhaps on this account 

 that Iron volunteers to a greater extent than any other 

 important variety, the hard seeds resisting decay. The 

 Iron is not a heavy seed producer. 



New Era. Among well-known varieties, this is the 

 most bushy in habit and earliest to mature, the first pods 

 ripening in about seventy-five days. The seeds are easily 

 recognizable, being small, rhomboidal, buff, thickly and 

 evenly sprinkled with minute blue specks. 



Groit. This is a cross between Whippoorwill and New 

 Era, the seeds sharing the coloration of both parents, 

 apparently superimposed on each other. It is larger and 

 more prolific than New Era, and on the whole the best 

 forage cowpea for states north of the cotton belt. 



Brabham. This is a cross between Iron and Whip- 

 poorwill, having the immunity of the former, and being 

 even more vigorous in growth than the latter. It is later 

 than either parent, and in sandy soils very prolific. 



Clay. This name is given commercially to any buff- 

 colored cowpea except Iron. There are several varieties 

 with such seeds, differing much in earliness and habit, 

 but most of them are quite viny. Those which mature 

 their first pods in about 90 days make up most of the seed 

 sold as Clay, while those which require 110 days or so 

 probably constitute the variety which appears in agronomic 

 literature as Wonderful or Unknown. None of the buff- 

 seeded varieties except Iron possesses especial merit. 



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