Miscellaneous Products. 



250 



[September, 1908. 



Cowpeas for Hay. 



Good cowpea liay is fully as valuable 

 a feed, pound for pound, as red clover 

 hay, and very nearly equal in value to 

 alfalfa or to wheat bran. The principal 

 value of this hay lies in its high percent- 

 age of digestible protein, which is 

 nearly four times that of timothy hay. 



One reason why cowpeas are not more 

 extensively used as a hay crop is the 

 difficulty often experienced in curing 

 the larger growth of succulent vines. 

 Where proper care is taken in curing, 

 especially where sorghum or a similar 

 plant is grown with it in mixture, it is 

 not a difficult matter to make good cow- 

 pea hay unless the weather is decidedly 

 unfavourable. 



When grown for hay production cow- 

 peas are nearly always broadcasted or 

 put in with a grain drill any time from 

 May 15 to July 15. The quantity of seed 

 used to the acre ranges from one to two 

 bushels, broadcasting requiring from 

 one-fourth to one-third more than is 

 necessary when using a grain drill. The 

 quantity most commonly used and 

 which gives the most general satisfac- 

 tion when the seed is put in with a 

 grain drill is five pecks to the ace. 

 The use of a grain drill is decidedly 

 superior to broadcasting. Larger hay 

 yields have frequently been secured by 

 planting in rows 24 to 36 inches apart, 

 and giving two or three cultivations, the 

 seed required in this way being from 

 two or three pecks per acre. The in- 

 creased yield of hay due to cultivation 

 is not sufficient to cover the increased 

 cost, especially as rather thick broad- 

 cast seeding is equally as effective in 

 destroying weeds as cultivation in rows. 

 The practice of broadcasting on small 

 grain stubble and ploughing under the 

 seed is still common ; also that of put- 

 ting in the seed on grain stubble with 

 a disk drill without ploughing. Both of 

 these practices are rapidly being re- 

 placed by good preparation of the soil 

 before seeding. 



As nearly as average conditions will 

 permit, cowpeas for hay should be plant- 

 ed so that they will be at the proper 

 stage for hay making in the latter part 

 of August, in September, or early in 

 October, as the rainfall is likely to be 

 small during that time. With four to 

 six days of dry sunny weather, cowpeas 

 can be cured into hay of excellent qual- 

 ity if they are at the proper stage of 

 maturity when cut. 



The proper time to cut cowpeas for 

 hay is when most of the pods are full 

 grown and a considerable number of 

 them are ripe. At this stage none of the 



best hay varieties have dropped their 

 leaves. Of the large list of cowpea 

 varieties, those with an upright habit 

 of growth which seed fairly well and 

 mature quite uniformly should be 

 chosen for hay. The varieties more 

 commonly used are Whippoorwill, Un- 

 known, New Era, and Iron. These hold 

 their leaves well and stand up much 

 better than most of the other varieties. 

 Such varieties as Black, Red Ripper, 

 and Clay are not desirable for the pro- 

 duction of hay, as they rue to vine badly 

 and are consequently very hard to cure 

 and handle. The readiness with which 

 the hay can be cured depends largely 

 upon the maturity of the vine and the 

 condition of the weather ; hence the 

 advisability of having the harvesting 

 done when the season is most likely to 

 be dry. 



An ordinary mower is the most prac- 

 tical machine for cutting cowpeas for 

 hay, and if an erect variety is grown 

 the entire iplant can readily be 

 saved. The mowing should begin in 

 the morning, as soon as the dew is off, 

 and may be continued all day if desired, 

 though some advocate cutting only till 

 noon. The vines should be left in the 

 swath until well wilted on top, but not 

 till the leaves are dry and brittle. 

 They should then be raked into wind- 

 rows ; this may be the same day or the 

 day after mowing. They should be left 

 in the windrows one or two days and 

 then put into small cocks of one or 

 two forkfuls. The cocks should be left 

 till the vines are well cured, from two 

 to five or six days, depending on the 

 conditions which have prevailed during 

 the cured period. A good rule to follow 

 is that peas are ready for stacking or 

 putting into the barn when it is not 

 possible to wring moisture out of the 

 steams by twisting a handful with con- 

 siderable force. 



The hay tedder can be used very ad- 

 vantageously in making cowpea hay. 

 If the growth is very heavy the tedder 

 should be used immediately after mow- 

 ing, as it will open up the vines so that 

 the sun and air can get to them better. 

 It can be used to good advantage on 

 vines in the swath after the top part 

 is wilted, as it opens them up so they 

 will dry more uniformly. It is also 

 valuable for opening up the windrows a 

 half day or a day before cocking. An 

 ordinary rake can also be used for turn- 

 ing the windrows over. The tedder 

 should never be used expect when 

 the vines are either green or damp, so as 

 not to cause the loss of too many leaves. 



In case of wet weather setting in 

 shortly after mowing, the best practice 



