ELEVENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 49 



Prof. Powell : That is true. There are about a hundred 

 different varieties of cow peas. I saw some seventy or eighty 

 varieties growing together a couple of years ago. Of course 

 the cow pea growers, Hke the fruit growers, want to get better 

 varieties if they can, and I think they are being improved all 

 the time. Out of this mass of new varieties there are coming 

 every year some that are much better than others. I think for 

 a cover crop the Early Black is one of the best. 



Mr. Hoyt : What do you think of sowing barley, or oats, 

 springs oats, as a cover crop? 



Prof. Powell: I should not want oats on the ground if my 

 land was adapted to crimson clover, on account of the fact that 

 the crimson has the power to catch moisture and nitrogen that 

 might otherwise be lost. I would also rather have a crop that 

 would live through the winter. But more especially I would 

 rather have a crop that has the ability to gather up nitrogen, 

 and it is a well known fact that these leguminous plants that I 

 have mentioned do have that power. However, in Delaware 

 winter oats have been used to some extent as a cover crop. 

 One of our most successful growers down there uses winter 

 oats as a cover crop for his orchard. 



Mr. Hoyt : You were talking about crimson clover, where it 

 grows, and it is all well enough in its way, but I want some 

 crop that I can grow that will cover the ground, not so much 

 to catch nitrogen as to protect the soil. 



Prof. Powell : Then why not take rye ? 



Mr. Hoyt: The trouble with that is that it will get ahead 

 of you in the spring if you do not look out. 



A AIember : We have found a great advantage in crimson 

 clover, especially under those conditions where you cannot grow 

 oats, buckwheat or turnips and winter oats. Where you cannot 

 get a nitrogenous crop I would earnestly recommend to you a 

 trial of cowhorn turnips. That will grow where clover will not. 



The President : We have another speaker to go right on 

 this afternoon to talk on orchards. He is going to take up a 

 very interesting subject for our Connecticut people. This is 

 Air. Grant G. Hitchings of South Onondaga, N. Y. He will 

 talk to us on 



