THE COW PEA. 13 



be intelligent and thorough. Ploughing must never be so 

 deep that the undersoil in any quantity is turned up over 

 the top soil, and, if the plough has been habitually worked 

 shallow, this will be avoided by using the subsoil plough. 

 On stubble ground or on old corn land, in light soils, a disc 

 harrow is usually the only implement needed, and has the 

 advantage of rapid working, but shallow ploughing or any 

 other means by which the surface is thoroughly loosened 

 and then worked down fine and smooth is sufficient. 



The seed germinates quickly on land well prepared 

 before planting; the young plants make a stronger start; the 

 whole crop grows uniformly and matures at the same time; 

 the work and waste of harvesting is less and the yield 

 larger. It is on the principle that the plant under favorable 

 soil conditions furnishes its own nitrogen as fast as needed, 

 and practically on this fact depends the whole economy of 

 the crop. Rarely indeed, would it pay to grow cow peas if 

 the nitrogen needed for its growth had to be supplied by 

 purchased fertilizer. In this connection and in a measure 

 supplementing what has just been stated, it is noteworthy 

 that while the cow pea responds readily to good culture, no 

 other legume will do as well with a hurried or imperfect 

 working of the soil. Frequently old pastures, "thin spots" 

 and waste fields have gone out of cultivation because it 

 costs too much to provide them with a supply of manure, 

 The average farmer with a scant supply of team or labor 

 and a short cropping season, cannot spare the time to plow, 

 subsoil and fit these impoverished, waste places as he would 



