334 DRY LAND FARMING 



hay, and, second, of enriching the land. Although this 

 crop can be grown on soils low in fertility, it will grow 

 much better on those that are well supplied with plant 

 food. The best soils for cow peas, therefore, as for near- 

 ly all other crops, are loams varying from clay to sand 

 in their composition. Nearly all the soils of the semi- 

 arid region have abundant plant food for the successful 

 growth of cow peas. 



Place in the rotation. As the cow pea is usually 

 grown for hay or for the purpose of bringing plant food 

 and humus to the land, it is more commonly sown after 

 a grain crop. This means that it is more commonly 

 sown after a crop of small grain and on land that has 

 been specially prepared by correct cultivation autumn 

 and spring. When cow peas are grown for a green crop 

 that will be buried, any kind of a grain crop may follow 

 the next season that is suitable to the locality. The 

 same will be true of it when sown in rows and cultivated. 

 In the latter instance more moisture will have been 

 conserved as a rule than in the former. It is not pos- 

 sible to sow cow peas in dry areas the same season after 

 a crop of grain as it is in humid areas. 



Preparing the soil. When cow peas follow grain 

 the land may be prepared in essentially the same way as 

 for peas (see p- 266), with the difference that more time is 

 given for working the soil on the surface before sowing 

 the cow pea than would be possible to secure in the 

 case of peas. Should the crop be sown on spring 

 plowed land, which may be admissible in some instances, 

 it should be plowed early and at once packed. 



Sowing. Cow peas are of many varieties. The 

 Wonderful is one of the best of these for average con- 

 ditions. The Whippoorwill and the Black are also 

 good, but these should not be sown save in warm lati- 

 tudes. The time for sowing is not earlier than the close 

 of the usual corn planting season. The cow pea will 



