864 VIGNA. COW PEA. 



at the sutures ; valves flat or convex. Seeds thick or compressed, 

 hiluni short or long, covered or naked. Plants herbaceous or 

 shrubby, climbing, erect, or prostrate. Leares pinnate, 3-folio- 

 late, stipellate. Sfipidcs small. Flowers violet, flesh colored, 

 yellow or white. Solitary or clustered in the axilcs. About 20 

 si)ecies, found in the cooler parts of Africa, in Asia, Australia, 

 and America. 



TisrnaCotjang Walp, L. Cow Pea, BiiMh Pea, Chinese Pea. 

 Leaflets vary much in shape, and are oval, broadly ovoid, or 

 rhomboid. Flowers few at the end of the peduncle. Pods 3-8 

 in. long, mostly straight, 2, 3, or 4 to a stalk. Seeds black, white, 

 red, cream colored, purple, or spotted. The stylo of foliage, 

 absence of tendrils, shape of seed, and the raising of the seed 

 leaves above the ground in germination, all indicate that it is 

 more nearly related to the bean than the common pea. 



It has been cultivated in China from remote antiquity, and is 

 a favorite forage crop in the Southern States, where it takes the 

 place of red clover at the Xorth. 



There are many varieties in cultivation which differ much in 

 foliage, size of i)lant, size, color and shape and yield of seeds. 



Some are (juite bushy and spread into a tangled mass. Even 

 in Central Michigan some of these peas make a rank growth, 

 completely covering the ground two feet and a half high. 



At the Xorth, horses refuse to eat it, but at the South, prob- 

 ably from "education," all grazing domestic animals are very 

 fond of cow peas, either fresh or dried. 



The following notes are mainly gleaned from an article by P. 

 J. Bcrckmans, of Georgia, as found in the American Af/ricuUu- 

 mVfor 1876: 



Almost any land will grow the cow pea, though the "Clay," 

 "Red" and "Black" succeed better on poor land than the 

 "Liidy" or "Crowder" varieties. 



Spring crops are sown in April, and fall crops after taking off 



