with a crop of pea vines that are ready to mow, than he can to sow good, 

 sound wheat bran on his land as a fertilizer." 



Of the capacity of the cowpea as a fertilizing agent Prof. Stubbs, of 

 the Louisiana Experiment Station, says: 



"Valuable as this plant is for its vine and fruit as food, its superlative 

 excellence lies in the property which it has of restoring worn soils. This 

 property it shares with all leguminous plants, but it surpasses them all in 

 producing the maximum results in a minimum of time. Clovers, trefoil, 

 lupine and alfalfa are used in different countries as soil renovators. They 

 are planted in the fall or spring and occupy the ground the entire season 

 or longer for good results. In the South the cowpea is planted in the late 

 spring or early summer and the crops of vines or peas are harvested or 

 buried for fertilizing purposes in early fall. The growth and develop- 

 ment of this plant is both rapid and enormous, particularly when planted 

 on good land. It perhaps assimilates more plant food in a short time 

 than any other leguminous plant. 



This plant in common with all others of the pulse family, assimilates 

 the nitrogen of the air and if phosphates, potash and lime be present in 

 the soil, it will grow with great rapidity and luxuriance. The manner of 

 assimilation of nitrogen has recently been patiently investigated by scien- 

 tists, and while the' exact process by which it is accomplished is not yet 

 clearly understood, the primary cause is clearly shown. If a farmer will 

 pull up carefully, with its roots, a pea vine plant from his field, and ex- 

 amine closely each rootlet, he will, if he has selected a healthy growing 

 specimen, find each one covered with wart-like protuberances or tubercles. 

 These tubercles, if examined under a powerful microscope, will be found 

 filled with micro-organisms called bacteria. They are living on the plant 

 and are drawing from it the mineral matter requisite for their existence. 

 Simultaneously, however, they are assimilating the free nitrogen of the 

 air which reaches them through the porosity of the soil. These bacteria 

 have a very ephemeral existence but great facility for rapid multiplication. 

 Hence millions die every few moments. This living togethe- of the plant 

 and its seeming parasite, each acting as a purveyor of food for the other, 

 is a most remarkable discovery made almost simultaneously by Dr. W. 

 O. Atwater of this country, and Hellriegel of Germany. While it has 

 long been known that leguminous plants had these nodules on their roots, 

 and longer still that they were in some way nitrogen gatherers, and there- 

 fore soil improvers, yet the relations between these nodules and the plant 

 were determined only a few years since by these distinguished scientists." 



Much more might be written to show the great value of the pea crop. 

 Summing up its chief merits we have: 



1 The pea will thrive upon every variety of soil and will grow on 

 land too poor to grow clover. 



2 It will produce a heavy and rich crop to be returned to the soil 

 in a shorter period than any other green manuring crop. 



3 On the same land in one year two crops can be grown, but it 

 requires two years for clover to produce a hay crop, so it will be seen that 

 four crops of peas may be grown in the same time as one crop of clover. 



4 The pea crop feeds lightly upon the soil but largely upon the at- 



