264 



COWPEA 



COWPEA 



growing for seed much beyond the limit of the 

 Gulf and South Atlantic states, nor for any pur- 

 pose in the far North, being a very late variety. 

 Whippoorwill, a bushy or erect,rather early variety, 

 is a general favorite for seed production, and is 

 suitable for cultivation for forage or soil-improve- 

 ment as far north as New York. The very early 

 varieties, for example New Era, Warren Hybrid, 

 Warren Extra-Early, and Extra-Early Black Eye, 

 mature seed considerably north of the line where 

 the Whippoorwill completely matures. But both in 

 the North and South, earliness is at the sacrifice of 

 yield of forage. On the other hand, the New Era 



Fig. 371. A cowpea {Yigna unguiculata). 



and some other early varieties are prolific bearers 

 of seed, and on rich land make very satisfactory 

 hay. 



The Iron cowpea is unique in being practically 

 exempt from cowpea wilt, and from attacks of 

 nematode worms, which commends it for use on 

 the sandy soils of the southern parts of the Gulf 

 and South Atlantic states. The seed resembles 

 that of the Clay pea, and the plant in habit may 

 be classed as a moderate runner. The yield of hay 

 is good and of seed medium. The leaves are 

 retained well, even after the plant has matured 

 a fair crop of seed, so that hay may be made from 

 this variety, while blooms, ripe pods and leaves 

 are all abundant on the same plant. In mild 

 winters in the Gulf states, the seeds lie in the 

 ground uninjured, germinating late in the following 

 spring. 



For forage or soil-improvement in southern 

 Ohio, Alva Agee recommends the Black, a variety 

 somewhat later than the Whippoorwill, and dis- 

 tinguished both North and South for its large 

 yield of forage. At the Georgia Experiment Sta- 



tion, the varieties leading in yield of forage were 

 Black, Mathews, Gourd, White, Taylor Prolific, 

 Blue Hull, Speckled Crowder, White Crowder, 

 Mush and Williams Hybrid. At the Alabama Sta- 

 tion, among the most prolific producers of forage 

 are Unknown or Wonderful, Clay and Iron. Among 

 the varieties yielding most seed at the southern 

 experiment stations are Black, Clay, Unknown, 

 Taylor, New Era and Whippoorwill. 



Conditions that tend to dwarf the plant, to 

 make it more erect or bushy and to hasten matur- 

 ity are (1) planting late in the season and (^ 

 growing the parent seed in high latitudes. 



Cvlture. 



Soil. — The cowpea is adapted to a wide range 

 of land, being able to make some growth on prac- 

 tically all soils except those that continue wet 

 during the summer. Near the northern limit of 

 its cultivation, sandy and loamy soils are prefer- 

 able, as they hasten maturity. There its best use 

 is for soil-improvement, which indicates that its 

 usual place is on soil too poor or otherwise un- 

 suited for the successful growth of red clover. 

 A moderate degree of acidity is not fatal to its 

 thrifty growth. 



Climate. — The cowpea is a native of a warm 

 climate and is very susceptible to frost. Near the 

 northern limit of its cultivation it must be started 

 as early as the season is well settled, so as to give 

 time for it to reach the desired degree of matu- 

 rity ; but planting should be deferred until the soil 

 is fairly warm. In the Gulf states, the earliest 

 practicable date for sowing is the latter part of 

 April, but this is usually at a disadvantage except 

 when two crops per year are desired on the same 

 land. May and June are the months preferred 

 in the South. In Delaware, the latter part of June 

 and early part of July have been found more de- 

 sirable dates for sowing cowpeas than late May 

 and early June. Early sowing has a tendency to 

 cause the production of an excessive growth of 

 runners, and may even change the habit of bush 

 varieties. While moderately early planting usually 

 increases the total yield of forage and the amount 

 of tangling, rather late planting affords a larger 

 yield of seed and tends to the development of 

 a bushy plant. 



Planting. — ^Land on which cowpeas are to be 

 grown should be plowed and well harrowed. Then 

 planting may be done either in drills or broad- 

 cast, the method to be used depending on a num- 

 ber of conditions. Broadcast sowing reduces the 

 labor but increases the quantity of seed. Usually, 

 when soil and season are favorable, broadcast sow- 

 ing gives a somewhat larger yield of hay, but in 

 seasons of drought, drilling and subsequent cultiva- 

 tion make a fair yield more certain than broad- 

 casting. To broadcast cowpeas they may be sown 

 by hand and afterwards disked or cultivated into 

 the loose soil, or they may be put in with a grain- 

 drill with every tube open. On sandy soil they are 

 sometimes sown broadcast and plowed in shallow. 

 In drilling cowpeas, the distance between the rows 

 is usually thirty-two to thirty-six inches. The 



