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AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES OF THE COWPEA. ETC. 



black is diluted and diffused through the testa, excepting about the 

 eye, which remains black. In the Holstein the black and white are 

 irregularly blotched. Where one parent was Taylor and the other 

 a black-eyed pea. the hybrids included peas with the Taylor mark- 

 ings — fine specklings of blue on buff, wholly about the eye (No. 

 22727) — and others where the Taylor coloring is blotched in irregular 

 spots and masses (Xos. 17409, 22715, and 22717). From the crosses 

 of TThippoorwill on Lady (a pure whitish pea) the progeny had the 

 Whippoorwill colors distributed after the manner of Holstein (Nos. 

 17408 and 22730). Another cross is between Warren's Extra Early 

 (a buff kidney pea) and Sugar Crowder (a yellowish globose pea). 

 The hybrid sent to the Department (Nos. 17422 and 22729) is a yel- 

 lowish kidney pea colored very much like the Sugar Crowder. 

 Prof. Newman describes his method of cross-pollinating as folio v.- - : 



In 1898 single-plant selections were made from one of the Black varieties 

 and from the Extra Early Blackeve, then growing on the Arkansas Experiment 

 Station grounds. These varieties are of quite a different type and several 

 crosses and reciprocal crosses were made. Enough of the corolla was torn 

 from the female parent blossoms to permit the removal of the stamens (with 

 curved forceps) and the emasculated blossoms inclosed in paper bags. This 

 was done in the afternoon. On the following morning between 9 and 12 o'clock 

 blossoms for the male parent were removed, the corolla torn away, and the 

 pollen applied to the stigma of the blossoms prepared the previous day. The 

 blossoms furnishing the pollen were sometimes protected by paper bags, but 

 more frequently were not. The bags were usually removed in less than 24 

 hours after the transference of the pollen and a record label attached. A large 

 proportion of the blossoms treated failed to " set " and many that matured 

 pods developed but few peas and these were often irregular in shape. The 

 peas secured from these crosses were planted the following spring 1 foot apart 

 in rows 31 feet wide. From this first crop single-plant selections were made. 

 In some cases all the hybrid peas germinated and grew, in others none grew, 

 and in many cases a part only germinated. 



The following year some of the varieties grown for crossing were planted 

 alternatively in the same rows, two blossoms (one emasculated) brought 

 together, tied, and inclosed in a paper sack. This method was more tedious 

 than the first and was successful to about an equal degree. 



Since 1904 Mr. W. A. Orton. of the Bureau of Plant Industry, has 

 been engaged in breeding cowpeas better resistant to wilt and root- 

 knot, using the well-known resistance of the Iron variety as the basis. 



During the last three years Mr. G. W. Oliver, of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, has made a very large number of hybrids with the 

 general end in view of originating better varieties. 



AGRICULTURAL HISTORY OF THE COWPEA AND ITS VARIETIES 



IN AMERICA. 



The cowpea is known in the earlier American literature under 

 the names of Indian pea. Southern pea. Southern Field pea. and 

 Cornfield pea. It has also been called Chinese or China bean, and in 



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