52 
cle of human diet. It is especially adapted to m countries and is extensively 
eultivated throughout the South, having been introduced there about the mid- 
dle of last century. There are many named forms or cultural varieties, all of 
whic er, : à : 
It so readily adapts itself to different soils and changes its characters so readily 
under cultivation, that there has been much difficulty in determining the limits 
of the various named forms. The cowpeas are of three general classes, accord- 
ing to their habit of growth, nds of “Lunch” 5 which grow erect 
and compact; ‘‘runners,” which start off erect and t throw out running 
>s; and “trailers,” which grow flat upon the Suede. with long stems 
sometimes 15 or 20 feet in length. There is also much variation in size, venia 
and eolor markings of the seeds, and in the manner in which the seeds are bor 
the pod, the seeds of some 
\\ : | between each seed, calle 
n g 4 
Wu ENUI B „kidney“ peas. The h 
SM Y C M varieties are the ones which 
SE Za; 5 
m are best adapted to growing 
o iet F 4 for hay or ensilage, while the 
RN S E 
D YA runners and trailers are valu- 
(Sy SZ able for soiling purposes or 
NS N , : f urning under as green 
J RS manure. The length of sea 
á RS son required for maturity also 
A V UND 4 y S varies greatly, the bunch va- 
A O LA j rieties, as a rule, requiring 
. ,, only a very short seas in 
75 . 3 
above that of red el r. Cow- 
peas require a 1 rich, 
Ty sandy loam, although, be- 
cause of their strong root 
1 pre- 
Fia. 56.—Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). pared and the seed should not 
oughly warmed. Cowpeas, by means of the ene on the roots, gather large 
— of nitrogen from the air, and also pump up large amounts of valuable 
ral fertilisers from ne Sun sig e stubble is — under after 
itrogen, 
and phosphorie acid—are left in the surf 1 for the use of b crops. 
A 
t the Rhode Island Experiment Station the total crop of green vines per acre 
was 35,000 pounds, containing 157 pounds of nitrogen, 1094 pounds of potash, 
and 32.2 pounds of phosphoric acid, and the additional quantity estimated to be 
contained in the roots was 172 pounds nitrogen, 10 pounds of potash, and 5.15 
pounds phosphorie acid. The percentages of fertilizers vary 5 according 
to the fertility, and to some extent according to the variety grown. Experi- 
