132 SOILING CROPS AND THE SILO. 



introduced has not been grown with highest success, 

 and the same is true of the western slope of Oregon. 

 But recent experiments conducted by the author at 

 the Minnesota experiment station have been decid- 

 edly encouraging. They were made with such 

 varieties as the Early Black and the Red Ripper. 



Soils. — Soils that are suitable for growing soy 

 beans are also suitable in nearly all instances for 

 growing cowpeas. (see Page 122). Loam soils 

 and more especially clay loams, will produce the 

 largest crops. Fairly good crops may be grown 

 on soils too low in fertility to produce good crops 

 of grain. 



Place in the Rotation. — -As with other legumes, 

 the aim should be to grow the cowpea so that it will 

 prove a renovating crop to. the soil. It should, 

 therefore, come as a rule between two grain crops. 

 But it may also be grown as a catch crop, where 

 a crop previously grown has failed; or it may be 

 grown as an intermediate crop after a crop has been 

 harvested and before another autumn or winter crop 

 has been sown. The cowpea can be grown with 

 much satisfaction on land from which early vege- 

 tables have been removed and also after a crop of 

 such fruits as strawberries. It is also grown on 

 soils that have become too unproductive for success- 

 ful cropping with grain. When thus grown it is 

 usually plowed under to renovate the soil, but even 

 though the crop be used for soiling purposes or for 

 hay, or even though it be matured for its grain 

 product it will still leave the land in a much better 

 condition as to fertility than before the crop was. 

 grown on it. 



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