136 FORAGE CROPS. 



all the tubes working. Forage fine rather than 

 coarse will thus be secured. When sown to provide 

 pasture for cattle, in many instances only every other 

 drill tube is used. The pasture is then stronger, but 

 it is also coarser than when sown with all the tubes 

 in use. If sown only for the grain or to provide 

 swine pasture, the rows are planted still wider, that 

 horse cultivation may be given them. It is mani- 

 fest, therefore, that the amount of seed required will 

 vary with the object sought when growing the peas. 

 While the amount of seed required should sel- 

 dom exceed one and one-half bushels per acre, 

 sometimes only a fractional part of that amount is 

 required. 



The combinations with which cowpeas may be 

 grown as forage do not appear to be well ascertained 

 as yet, but there would seem to be no good reason 

 why they could not be grown along with corn, sor- 

 ghum, rape, vetches, and other forage plants. They 

 should have special adaptation for being grown 

 along with sorghum for sheep pasture. 



Cultivation. — Cowpeas may usually be har- 

 rowed with some advantage to the crop and to the 

 soil a short time before they appear above the sur- 

 face of the ground. But when sown by hand it may 

 be better to use some form of weeder, lest the peas 

 be too much disturbed by the process. Ordinarily 

 no other cultivation is given when the crop is grown 

 for pasture or for being plowed under, but in some 

 instances a weeder and even a light harrow may be 

 used with advantage after the crop has appeared. 

 When grown for the grain the horse cultivation 

 should be very similar to that given to a bean crop. 

 It should be sufficiently frequent to keep the ground 



