THE PIGEON PEA: CULTURE IN HAWAII. 9 
two. During this period it pays to run a one-horse cultivator be- 
tween the rows to keep down the weeds, and for this reason the 
rows should be spaced evenly. This can easily be done if a " marker " 
is used. A marker can be made by spiking three 2 by 6 inch runners, 
24 inches long, to the underside of a 2 by 12 inch plank, 10 feet 
long, one runner being placed at each end of the plank, and one in 
the center. A light wagon tongue should then be fastened to the 
plank and a steady team used to drag the marker. The one-horse 
seed drill will have an accurate guide to follow. A skillful driver 
should mark off 20 acres a day. If the planting is to be done in 
rough ground where plowing and tillage are impracticable, holes 
can be dug approximately 5 by 5 feet apart and several seeds dropped 
in each hill. 
When pigeon peas are grown for seed purposes it is recommended 
that the rows be spaced 4 or 5 feet apart, depending upon the fer- 
tility and moisture conditions of the soil. Naturally the more favor- 
able the growing conditions are, the larger the plants will be and the 
more space they will require for best development. At Haiku, the 
seed is planted in rows 5 feet apart and intercropped with some quick- 
maturing crop such as corn, beans, potatoes, peanuts, and the like. 
By the time these are harvested, the pigeon peas begin to occupy the 
intervening space. If the crop is wanted for green manuring, it 
is advisable to space the rows only half as wide as when the crop 
is to be grown primarily for seed; that is, they should be 24 to 30 
inches apart. 
The best and most economical method for planting the seed found 
so far is the use of a one-horse seed drill adjusted to drop the seed 
approximately 6 inches apart. This is considered the most favor- 
able distance in the row for seed production. With this equipment 
a skilled workman should readily plant from 4 to 5 acres per day. 
From 8 to 10 pounds of seed will plant an acre. The seed may also 
be broadcasted, but such a practice is not recommended. Weeds are 
likely to smother the young seedlings, and if the plants are over- 
crowded, seed production will be seriously curtailed. Furthermore, 
light seeding is essential to make the scant available moisture ade- 
quate for even so drought resistant a crop as the pigeon pea. 
THE HAY CROP. 
HARVESTING. 
The best time to harvest the pigeon pea crop for hay is when a 
large percentage of the pods is mature because a large part of the 
nutritive value of the plant is contained in the seed. So heavily do 
some strains seed that fully one- fourth of the forage is made up of 
grain. One great advantage of the pigeon pea over many other 
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