^'^^ , Illinois State Dairymen's Association. 



The quantity of vines that may have been produced has a 

 direct bearing upon the time they should be plov^ed in. In 1902, 

 one plot each of New Era and Extra Early Black Eye produced 

 less than 800 pounds of hay per acre, and one plot each of Clay, 

 Iron and Wonderful with identical treatment and on like soil, 

 produced more than 8000 pounds of hay per acre. While such 

 cx-tremes in yields of hay is Hiie entirely to variety habits, they 

 are wider than have before occurred in the experience of the 

 writer. Nevertheless, they serve to illustrate the necessity for 

 different treatment when heavy or light yields of pea vines are to 

 be utilized directly for fertilizing purposes. Should so light a 

 growth as 800 pounds, or even twice this quantity of vines be 

 plowed under in the fall a very large proportion of the most 

 valuable fertilizing ingredients would disappear, in our mild 

 climate before planting time the following spring. The loss 

 could, however, to a great extent be prevented by having the 

 soil seeded to some winter growing crop, such as rye, vetch, 

 wheat, etc., and so small a quantity of green vegetable matter 

 plowed in would not perceptibly injure these winter crops. 

 Should 8000 pounds of cowpea vines, or even half so much, be 

 plowed under in the fall and followed by a winter crop, the dam- 

 age of this large amount of fermenting and decomposing vegeta- 

 tion would seriously damage, if not destroy, the winter crop, if 

 a liberal application of lime was not made (see Arkansas Experi- 

 ment Station Bulletin No. 62). Furthermore, the varieties of 

 cowpeas that produce the heaviest yield of vines usually con- 

 tinue green and growing until frost, if not harvested before 

 frost occurs, and in this succulent condition are more calculated 

 to do harm than more mature vines. Should soil occupied by a 

 heavy growth of cowpeas in the fall be intended for some spring 

 sown crop, it may or may not be advantageous that the vines be 

 plowed under in the fall. In such a case the susceptibility of the 

 soil to washing, its physical properties and local conditions and 

 surroundings should be considered, and without losing sight of 

 the advantages of grazing the pea vines. When the time ap- 

 proaches for plowing under cowpea vines in the fall, the degree 

 of maturity of the crop has an important bearing upon determin- 

 ing whether they should then be plowed or left over until the 

 early spring. If the cowpea vines are mature, best results will 

 usually come from fall plowing, particularly if the land is com- 



