156 CHAPTER X 



latter, the Sudan grass matures late enough to ensure good 

 growth of the cowpeas, and the hay is cured more easily than 

 if the latter were sown alone. Millets are usually too early for 

 this purpose. 



Uses. — The seed is used for human consumption, and 

 when ground may be used as a concentrate for feeding to stock. 



The plants are grown for forage and silage, but chiefly as a 

 green-manuring crop. 



Improvement. — Piper^ is of opinion that improvement 

 should be directed along the following lines : — 



" (1) Size and vigour. 



(2) Habit, especially erectness and height. 



(3) ProKficness. 



(4) Disease resistance. 



(5) Weevil resistance in seed. 



(6) Ability to retain leaves late in the season. 



(7) Time of maturity or life period. 



(8) Evenness of maturity. 



" The ideal forage cowpea would seem to be one that is 

 tall, vigorous, bushy in habit, leafy, the leaves persisting late; 

 Xjrohfic, the pods well filled and held well above the ground, the 

 seeds hard and therefore rather small, and immune from or re- 

 sistant to serious diseases. (On the high veld earlier maturing 

 varieties are wanted.) For planting in maize, a strong vining 

 habit is an additional desideratum. Fortunately some varieties 

 are half bushy when planted alone, but sufficiently vining where 

 a support is available. 



Where cowpeas are to be used as a human food or to be 

 pastured by hogs, the yield of pods and seeds is most important, 

 the erectness of the plant being of secondary consideration." 



In South Africa much remains to be done in separating the 

 varieties of kaffir-beans and in exploiting the untried indigen- 

 ous species. 



As smothering crops, cowpeas and buckwheat are among 

 the most effective. The cowpea will choke out all low growing 

 weeds, but is not successful against tall growing ones like 

 Khaki-Bos {Tagetes minuta). 



Composition and Feeding Value.' 



Nutritive ratio. 



Cowpea silage ... ... ... 1 :7*2 



Cowpea hay 1 :7"2 



Cowpea grain ... 1 :3"4 



