284 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION 



pay the cost of the crop. The hay, if properly cured, is rich in 

 nutrition. All classes of farm animals relish it and will gain i|i 

 weight even though given no additional feed. The cowpea is 

 not restricted to the South and does equally well in the North. 

 The difference in the crop system has favored its culture in the 

 southern states and the popularity of clover in the North has 

 been against it. As a nitrogen gatherer, a humus maker and 

 consumer of rough plant food, the cowpea is unexcelled. It is 

 unequalled by any other plant unless it be alfalfa. 



The cowpea responds to good tillage. A well-fined, loose 

 seed-bed is the ideal one. Never plant until the ground is warm, 

 Sow broadcast or with grain drill at the rate of one or two 

 bushels to the acre. If planted in drills make rows about 24 to 

 30 inches apart. Cultivate a few times. This not onty hastens 

 the growth, but increases the yield considerably. The crop is 

 cured for hay in a manner very similar to the curing of clover 

 or alfalfa. 



A Splendid Oriental Legume. 



Soy beans, like the cowpea, want warm weather. Their 

 uses are somewhat similar to those of the cowpea. They grow 

 well in the corn field and when put into the silo with corn make 

 admirable silage. They grow in a wide range of soils and may 

 be planted in rows or broadcasted. When wanted mainly for 

 grain the seed is put in rows about 24 inches apart for the small 

 varieties and 36 inches for the large varieties. Once started 

 they grow rapidly. If grown for grain this may be ground and 

 fed in the regular grain mixture, and if made into hay, fed as 

 cowpeas or clover. The high value of the seed acts against the 

 use of soy beans as a grain food. 



The Tares of the Cereals. 



The vetches are called the tares of the cereals but are rel- 

 ished by live stock of all kinds. They are excellent for milk 

 production and their fattening properties are of a high order. 

 They have a special adaptation for being grown along with other 

 grains to provide soiling food or hay. They may be used with 



