THIRTY-FIFTH ANNUAL CONVENTION. 249 



HARVESTING COW-PEAS. 



For Hay. 



Cow-peas should be cut for hay when most of the pods are 

 developed and when the first pods and some leaves begin to 

 turn yellow. At this stage the plant has attained its growth 

 and none of the leaves have been lost. If cut before maturity 

 the vines are watery and difficult to cure, while if left too late 

 before cutting there will be an unnecessary loss of leaves in 

 handling and the stems will be tougher and more woody. Cow- 

 pea hay should be handled in curing in about the same manner 

 as alfalfa, but it cures more slowly than alfalfa. A good prac- 

 tice is to begin cutting in the morning as soon as the dew is 

 off when the indications are for favorable weather for a num- 

 ber of days. Before the leaves have become very dry the hay 

 should be raked and allowed to cure in the windrow a short 

 time. It should then be placed in cocks of moderate size, 

 made as high in proportion to circumference as possible. 

 The cocked hay should be allowed to remain in the field for 

 three or four days until the stems of the peas are well cured, 

 when the hay may be mowed or stacked. Where possible, cow- 

 pea hay should be stored under shelter. The coarse nature of 

 the forage makes it hard to keep in the stack, since it does not 

 shed water readily. 



For Ensilage. 



When sown alone cow-peas should be harvested for ensilage 

 at about the same stage of maturity as for hay. They should 

 be cut only a short time before they are hauled to the silo; 

 should be raked green, placed in small bunches or loaded onto 

 the wagons directly from the windrow. When cow-peas are 

 planted with corn for ensilage, the combined crop may be har- 

 vested with the corn-binder and handled in the same manner 

 and as easily as corn planted alone for ensilage. 



