fHE COW PEA. 9 



climbers or trailers and to mature later; on the contrary, 

 those which have a trailing habit in the long seasons of the 

 Gulf states, in the cooler north gradually curtail their long 

 southern vines and assume a more bush-like form, and 

 otherwise adjust themselves to the shorter growing season. 



The use for which it is wanted determines the character 

 of the variety to be selected, and both character and use 

 have a direct bearing on the practice to be followed in 

 growing the crop. It is wise, therefore, to consider in de- 

 tail, the chief characteristics of a few of the best known 

 and most widely popular varieties. 



Nearly every southern experiment station has made ex- 

 tensive tests of varieties, and been more or less successful 

 in identifying and arranging the different sorts in groups, 

 each of which has some prominent character in common; 

 form, size, shape and color of the seed, habit of growth in 

 the plant, and time of ripening have been used as basis for 

 this grouping. One of the most simple and convenient 

 forms of grouping is given in Bulletin 26 of the Georgia 

 Station which will be found at the end of this pamphlet. 



The selection of a variety will naturally depend upon 

 what is wanted in the crop for the same reasons which lead 

 many farmers to plant a dent variety of corn for grain and 

 a flint for silage or fodder, that is to say, because the flint 

 may give a larger and more appropriate stalk and a greater 

 proportion of leaf. If hay is required. Clay, Unknown or 

 Whip-poor-will are suitable, for they are vigorous late 

 maturing, and by their erect habit, make harvesting and 



