40 THE COW PEA. 



Theoretically the most economical way to use the crop 

 is to graze the fields and plow under the stubble. The 

 solid and liquid droppings of the animals contain nearly 

 all of the plant food that was in the forage. There is a 

 small loss, but it is hardly as great as when the vines are 

 left on the ground during the winter. 



Grazing the field and turning under the stubble and 

 animal droppings does away with the difficult, often expen- 

 sive, work of plowing under a great mass of vines, when 

 labor is scarce or wages high Cow pea pastures are especi- 

 ally valuable for milch cows and growing hogs, and make 

 more milk and pork per acre than any other grazing. Hogs 

 use the crop more closely than cows, and are less particular 

 about quality of food, so it is well to let them finish what 

 the cattle have left. Hogs make good growth and fatten 

 on such pasture, yet it is better to add some other and suit- 

 able feed during the last month or so of their feeding for 

 market or pork, or "finish off " on corn, as otherwise meat 

 and fat are likely to be too soft, and lacking in quality and 

 delicacy of flavor. As intimated above, a fairly good pea 

 crop is rather difficult to plow under with its entire mass of 

 fresh, green vines, but grazing a few days, makes the cover- 

 ing easier and causes practically no loss of plant food. 



On soils already in condition to produce a heavy growth 

 of peas, and where grazing is not convenient, if the crop 

 be made into hay, the soil is still greatly improved. The 

 roots, stubble and waste from the hay, fu rnish all the nitrogen 

 needed for the following crop, and the hay costs simply the 



