February. 1909.] 



133 



EDIBLE PRODUCTS. 



COW-PEAS. 



By Lieut.-Col. J. R. Y. Goldstein. 



Departmental experience with cow- 

 peas has shown them to be a most pre- 

 carious crop under ordinary field condi- 

 tions. They are most sensitive to late 

 frosts, and even a cold day checks them 

 severely. As a commercial crop they 

 are not held in high estimation, although 

 for green manure or fodder they are of 

 great value. Under irrigation in the 

 Goldburn Valley excellent crops have 

 been grown. 



Last season varieties were supplied to 

 Lieut.-Col. J. R. Y. Goldstein, who 

 undertook to test them at the Chelten- 

 ham Convalescent Home for Men. Con- 

 sidering the nature of the soil and the 

 unwonted dryness of the season, the 

 results, as given in the following report, 

 are of value : - 



It will be remembered that the winter 

 of 1907 was so dry that the subsoil was 

 deprived of its annual wetting. Conse- 

 quently, spring and summer growth was 

 unusually backward, and was further 

 injured by the absence of summer rains. 

 The cow-peas sown late suffered like 

 other vegetation, and there were many 

 gaps in the lines. But, being drought- 

 resistant, the bulk of them came 

 through the dry season satisfactorily. 



The four varieties supplied were, New 

 Era, Iron, Wonderful, and Whip-poor- 

 Will- The parcel of Iron contained peas 

 of two colours, though evidently true to 

 name ; these I separated and sowed in 

 distinct plots to test for 'any difference, 

 naming them provisionally, " White 

 Iron," and "Red Iron." The result 

 showed the dark to be a fortnight later 

 than the light pea, but the difference 

 may have been accidental and will be 

 tested further. All the peas were sown 

 on 18th October, and they ripened seed 

 in the following order :— 

 White Iron 15th Feb., 1908 106 days. 

 New Era ... 21st ,, „ 112 „ 

 Red Iron ... 24th „ ,, 115 „ 

 Wonderful 28th ,, „ 119 „ 

 Whip-poor- 



Will ... 19th March, „ 139 „ 



All continued to produce pods until 

 16th April, when they were ploughed 

 in by mistake, but previous experience 

 in Gippsland goes to show that cow- 

 peas will produce pods until stopped by 

 cold. The pods were gathered weekly 

 and careful records kept. The heaviest 



gatherings were obtained during the 

 third and fourth weeks in March and 

 the first week in April. 



White Iron and Red Iron are similar 

 in growth and yield, plants about 20 

 inches high, ripening seed early, and 

 bearing pods in succession for about 

 three months; pods about 7 inches long, 

 containing 12 to 16 seeds of medium size. 

 Imported seeds are deep brown in colour, 

 some being cream-coloured. 



New Era, the second earliest, is a low- 

 growing, slender bush with delicate 

 foliage, small pods and seeds ; pods about 

 6 iuches long, thin, containing 12 to 16 

 seeds, brown in colour and mottled. 



Wonderful, third in order of ripening, 

 has robust and spreading growth, with 

 strong branches and large leaves, cover- 

 ing the ground quickly ; plants about 



11 inches high ; pods about 8 inches long, 

 thick, containing 12 to 18 medium-sized 

 peas, flattened at the ends, colour 

 reddish brown. 



Whip-poor-Will, a late variety, is 

 strong in growth, with an abundance of 

 large foliage ; branches spreading and 

 numerous ; height about 18 inches ; pods 

 about 9 inches long, fleshy, containing 



12 to 18 large peas, kidney-shaped, brown 

 mottled. 



A Strong Plea for Their Culture. 

 Cow-Pea plants grow vigorously until 

 they commence bearing, then slowly until 

 April, when they start a second growth, 

 throwing out branches with a running 

 habit, soon forming a densely-matted 

 mass of rich, succulent herbage suitable 

 for fodder, ensilage, or green manure, 

 The plants are specially suitable for 

 making into stack eusilage, which may 

 be done in the paddock where grown, 

 thus reducing labour, bringing ensilage- 

 making within the scope of any small 

 farmer, and thereby inducing chat class 

 to adopt the making of ensilage regu- 

 larly. When ploughed under, for green 

 manure, the soft, sappy mass rots very 

 quickly, so that any other crop may be 

 sown almost immediately. It is this 

 quality, of speedily breaking up in the 

 soil, due to the luxuriance of its second 

 growth, which constitutes much of 

 the value of cow-peas for manurial 

 purposes. It has been claimed for 

 this plant that, under favourable con- 

 ditions, two sowings can be grown 

 successively in one season, Avhich further 

 heightens its value for restoring humus 

 to hungry and worn-out soils. It 



