LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. I37 



clean and moist until the peas have grown so far 

 that further cultivation would injure them. 



Pasturing. — When cowpeas are pastured with 

 sheep, the pasturing may begin before the peas have 

 reached the blossoming stage, and when pastured 

 with cattle, about the time that they come into bloom. 

 But these statements are only intended to be gen- 

 eral. There may be reasons why, with both these 

 classes of live stock, pasturing may be commenced 

 earlier or later. But when swine are to pasture 

 upon the peas, the latter should be allowed to attain 

 full size before turning the swine upon them. The 

 least waste arises when the crop is pastured off 

 with sheep, and it may be mentioned here that cow- 

 peas usually spring up vigorously again when grazed 

 off. Especially is this true of them during the 

 earlier stages of growth. 



Observations. — i. While cowpeas make excel- 

 lent forage when cured properly, they are difficult 

 to cure. They are, therefore, better adapted rela- 

 tively to providing forage than hay, and this fact 

 should not be overlooked by those who may engage 

 in growing them. 



2. Cowpeas would doubtless be much more 

 extensively grown for hay or fodder and also for 

 the grain, but for the difficulty in harvesting them. 

 The "pea harvester," such as is used in Canada in 

 harvesting field peas, should do this work admirably, 

 but it does not appear to have been introduced into 

 sections where cowpeas are grown. It is simply an 

 attachment to the field mower. This attachment is 

 inexpensive and yet very efficient. With a driver 

 and one man walking behind to remove the 

 bunches^ cowpeas may be harvested nearly as 



