140 EXPERIMENTS WITH ROOTS AND FORAGE CROPS 



shown from experiments, this plant is so valuable in bringing 

 up the fertility of land in one section, why should it not be of 

 equal value in another ? 



The cow pea has been grown now for two seasons. The 

 trial plots have been on a fairly rich, clay loam, although poorly 

 drained. The seed was planted in rows three feet apart, and 

 from four to six inches apart in the row, which is at the rate of 

 about one bushel per acre. When sown broadcast, one and one- 

 half bushels are necessary. The following varieties' have been 

 grown : 



Whippoorwill Ga. Exp't Station. 



Whippoorwill Breck & Sons. 



8 tons, 1331/3 lbs. per A. 

 15 tons, 976 lbs. per A. 



New Era Ga. Exp't Station... .: 12 tons, 684 lbs. per A 



Southern Yellow Eye Breck & Sons | 18 tons, 300 lbs. per A 



Clay or Wonder Breck & Sons 1 14 ton?, 1,040 lbs. per A. 



15 tons, 1,460 lbs. per A. 



The plant is of a running nature, and in a short time com- 

 pletely covers the ground, whether sown in drills or broadcast. 

 It is, consequently, a troublesome crop to turn under. As a 

 soiling and silo crop, it does not seem to be a success ; the cat- 

 tle do not take to it as freely even as to the Soy bean. Its 

 main value seems to be as a green manure. Besides the plots 

 already mentioned, two other tests are under trial. During the 

 season of 1897, a small, triangular field of comparatively poor 

 soil was planted, which yielded at the rate of 6 tons, 1,649 

 pounds per acre. This was plowed under and the ground 

 stocked down to grass in the fall. The grass winter-killed. 

 The ground was wet until late, so that the results will be un- 

 trustworthy until another season. This year, another good- 

 sized plot of similar conditions was sown with cow peas, and 

 although late when planted, they have produced at the rate of 

 6 tons of green material per acre. 



It is thought by the writer that this crop should be given 

 more consideration, from the facts that it is so easily grown, 

 yields so heavily, and seems to adapt itself to comparatively 

 poor soils. When plowing under in the fall of 1897, the roots 



