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AGRICULTURAL VARIETIES OF THE COWPEA, ETC. 



SYNOPSIS OF VARIETIES BY SEED COLORS. 



The following brief synopsis will indicate the relative abundance 

 of varieties in each seed color and aid in their identification. They 

 may be classified into 12 groups by seed color, namely, white, 

 yellowish, bufT, pink, maroon, violet, smoky gray, brown, black, 

 marbled, speckled, and marbled-speckled. Where the whole seed is 

 not uniformly colored, the ground color is nearly always white, and 

 the two-colored seeds may be eyed, blotched, or whitened, the last 

 including those which are white only at the chalazal end. Cowpeas, 

 but not catjangs and asparagus beans, may also be grouped into 

 crowders and noncrowders. 



The number of varieties is very large and their differences rela- 

 tively small. The identification of any particular variety is, there- 

 fore, often a difficult matter, in many cases determinable only by com- 

 parative cultures. Furthermore, artificial hybrids are not difficult to 

 obtain, and in some places natural lwbrids are abundant. On these 

 accounts no key to the varieties has been attempted. The descriptions 

 will indicate the range of characters that occur in the varieties that 

 have been brought together. From the best of these varieties numer- 

 ous hybrids, involving in some cases new color combinations in the 

 seeds, have been made by Mr. G. W. Oliver. 



White-seeded varieties. — In this group the entire seed is white 

 except the sides of the hilum and sometimes the iris. Five varieties 

 are described as having white seeds, namely, Lady (17359), Cream 

 (17693), 21813, Rice (29300), and 29308. 



It is probable that the number of varieties is considerably greater, 

 especially as 17359, 29300, and the variety called Conch in Florida 

 all have similar seeds. They are valued principally for table use. 

 No pure white-seeded asparagus beans or catjangs are known to 

 occur. 



Yellowish-seeded varieties. — Four varieties are here included, 

 namely, Old Man 17354, 17354A, differing only in having a speckled 

 eye, Yellow Sugar Crowder 17394 and 17422, a hybrid with the last 

 mentioned as one parent. None are particularly desirable, except, 

 perhaps, for table use. All are cowpeas. 



Buff -seeded varieties. — Buff is the commonest seed color in cowpeas 

 and catjangs, and is nearly as common in asparagus beans. Indeed, 

 the great number and close similarity of the varieties make them 

 difficult even to distinguish, aside from describing them. 



Buff crowder cowpeas include Michigan Favorite 13472, Brown 

 Crowder 17370, Mountain Crowder 29288 and 22053. Among other 

 buff cowpeas are Iron 8418, Unknown 13468, Unknown 27545, Clay 

 17340, Warren's New Hybrid 17345, Melear 17383, Sixty-Day 17386, 

 Powell's Early Prolific 17392, Purple-Podded Clay 18519A, Clay 



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