COW PEAS AND OTHER VEGETABLES. 63 



power of a cow pea root is astonishing, and they will so com- 

 pletely break up and fill such spots with the decaying vege- 

 table matter of their roots, as well as leaves, and shade them 

 from the sun, that if a good growth of vines can only be had 

 the spots will disappear entirely. It will stand any amount 

 of drouth and heat, and can be planted any time after the 

 ground gets warm, all along through the season, if rain 

 enough falls to bring up the seed. In many parts of the 

 South the roots of the cow pea are affected with what are 

 known as nematode galls or knots, which in fact are so com- 

 mon in all soils deficient in potash, that the general opinion 

 seems to be that they are a natural condition of the plant, 

 and aid in some way in storing up nitrogen. But this is cer- 

 tainly a mistaken idea, as far as the naturalness of galls on 

 cow pea roots in good land is concerned. I have grown cow 

 peas for the vegetable matter, on land well supplied with 

 potash, for over thirty years in this section, and have never 

 seen a nematode gall on a single plant, nor do I believe that 

 they ever will be seen on new land, or where the soil is well 

 supplied with potash. The conditions for their development 

 are excessive moisture on a soil deficient" in potash, and as 

 all old soils are in that fix from exhaustion, especially in the 

 southern states, these nematode galls are almost universal, 

 and have come to be considered a natural development of the 

 plant. But as I said above, this is a mistake, as any one can 

 prove by planting them where potash has been applied. The 

 nematode galls are simply a disease, but may be a beneficial 

 one, for aught I know. 



