ANNUAL HAY AND FORAGE CROPS 



283 



Clay is the most variable of any of the varieties, and the name is given 

 commercially to any cowpeas having buff-colored seeds, except the Iron. 

 For this reason there are doutbless many varieties that masquerade under 

 this name. This variety is vigorous, but of a trailing habit. It fruits 

 sparingly and is consequently rather unpopular either for seed or hay 

 purposes. It is especially valuable for pasturing and for soil improvement. 



Groit is very similar to New Era, but makes a slightly larger growth 

 and fruits more heavily. 



Black is a variety characterized by its large black seeds that do not 

 k decay rapidly after ripening, even after lying on the warm, moist earth, 



Field op Iron Cowpeas Planted in One-fifth-rod Rows and 

 Cultivated Three Times. 1 



It is especially adapted to the sandy, coastal plain soils of Virginia and North 

 Carolina. It is also popular in the sugar-cane section of Louisiana. 



Time, Manner, Rate and Depth of Seeding. — Cowpeas should not be 

 seeded until the soil is thoroughly warm. In most localities the date of 

 seeding will be one or two weeks later than the best time for planting corn. 

 The plants are tender and are injured by the slightest frost. 



In the cotton belt, the time of seeding should be regulated so that 

 when harvested for hay, the proper stage of maturity will occur when the 

 weather conditions are favorable for hay making. This will usually be 

 sometime in September. 



The seed-bed for cowpeas should be prepared the same as for corn. 

 The planting may be in drills or by broadcasting. When grown for seed 

 it is generally best to plant in drills not less than thirty inches apart and 



'From Farmers' Bulletin 318, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture. 



