Thirty-fourth Annual Convention. ^^^ 



It is an excellent soil renovator, gathering nitrogen from the 

 air, opening up the soil and bringing large quantities of mineral 

 food from the subsoil. 



The little information that we have upon the subject indi- 

 cates that alfalfa should not be used as a seed crop in Indiana, 

 except perhaps in the last season before plowing it up. Seed pro- 

 duction weakens the plants and reduces the stand, and the seed 

 crop produced will seldom be a profitable one. 



COWPEA EXPERIMENTS. 

 By C. L. Newman, Arkansas Experiment Station. 



Cowpeas are being grown considerably in Illinois, particu- 

 larly in the southern part, and their cultivation as a forage rich 

 in protein is being urged by the University of Illinois. In view 

 of this fact we are giving the following bulletin : 



Since the publication of Bulletin No. 70 (Cowpea Experi- 

 ments, letters have been received from eighteen states and two 

 territories making inquiries concerning this important crop. A 

 majority of these letters of inquiry related to varieties and 

 sources from which seed may be procured. It is probable that 40 

 per cent of the letters from this State reaching the office of the 

 Agriculturist since Bulletin No. 70 was mailed, have sought in- 

 formation of one kind or another relating to cowpeas. A review 

 of these letters of inquiry gives a good idea of the nature of the 

 information sought by the farmers of the State. The object of 

 the Bulletin is, as far as possible, to supply this information, and 

 in addition to report such experiments as have matured or that 

 are deemed advisable to publish at the present time. 



In 1902 more than 350 plots were grown on the Station 

 grounds, and 54 of these were planted in spots, selections and 

 crosses, some of which are quite promising. 



Rainfall from 1898 to 1902, Inclusive. 

 The cowpea seems to be less affected by either drouth or ex- 

 cessive rainfall than any other crop grown at the Experimental 

 Station. In fact, the effects of excess of rain has invariably 

 caused a decrease in the yield of grain and a deficient rainfall a 

 marked increase in grain. The following table gives the rainfall 

 for five years, omitting November and December of each year, 

 and the average yield per acre of shelled peas and of hay : 



