CROPS AND SOIL IMPROVEMENT 



by the turning. The hay will mold in the mow 

 if not thoroughly well cured, unless placed in 

 a large body in a deep, close mow that excludes 

 the air. Some farmers use the latter method 

 successfully, but the experimenter with the cowpea 

 usually will fail, and should prefer thorough field 

 curing, at the risk of some damage from rain and 

 sun. The leaves are the most nutritious part of 

 the plant, excepting the seed. 



As a Catch Crop. A leading use of the cowpea 

 is that of a catch crop, either between other crops 

 or in a growing crop, such as corn. Early maturing 

 varieties can be brought in between main crops 

 of the rotation in warm latitudes. The growth 

 prevents the leaching of plant-food, shades the 

 ground, adds nitrogen to the soil, smothers weeds, 

 and produces material that is valuable as feed for 

 livestock or an addition of organic matter to the 

 soil. When the time that can be devoted to the 

 crop is short, an early variety should be selected 

 because its vines are far more valuable to the soil 

 than an equal volume of a rank-growing variety 

 that is not near maturity. 



If this legume were used whenever oppor- 

 tunity afforded along the southern border of our 

 northern states, and throughout the south, the 



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