THE COWPEA 



but a taste for it is quickly acquired, and soon it 

 is eaten greedily. The high content of protein 

 makes it exceptionally valuable for young animals 

 and milk cows, and the manure contains a high 

 percentage of nitrogen. The difficulty in making 

 the hay is a drawback, but this is over-rated. 

 While rain discolors the vines and makes them un- 

 attractive in appearance, the hay remains more 

 palatable and nutritious than good timothy, if 

 the leaves are not lost in curing. When the first 

 pods turn yellow, the crop should be harvested. 

 The vines can be left in the swath until the top 

 leaves begin to burn and then be put into windrows 

 with a sulky hay-rake. The windrows should be 

 small, the rake merely serving to invert half 

 the vines upon the other half, bringing new sur- 

 face to the sun. After another day of curing, the 

 windrows should be broken up into bunches no 

 larger than can be pitched upon the wagon by a 

 workman, thus saving the trouble of disentangling 

 the vines. If rain comes, the bunches should be 

 inverted the following day. In dry, hot weather 

 the curing proceeds rapidly, while in cooler latitudes 

 or cloudy weather the curing may require a week. 

 The chief point is to prevent undue exposure of 

 the leaves to the sun, and this is accomplished 



[105J 



