1876.] 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
215 
finite form. In one ordinary sample, -which weigh¬ 
ed 44 pounds to the bushel, almost every oat was 
flattened into a white, floury disk, nearly or quite 
as large as an old-fashioned silver 3-eent piece. 
Oats thus crushed may be fed as they are, and not 
one will pass the digestive organs unacted upon, as 
60 often happens with whole oats ; they may be 
mixed with cut or chaifed hay, wet, or with steam¬ 
ed fodder of any kind. They go decidedly further. 
Those who figure most closely, are the most posi¬ 
tive in their approval of them from motives of econ¬ 
omy solely, and uniformly assert their superiority 
to ground oats, even though they were to grind 
them themselves. 
Oat-crushers will certainly find their way to 
popularity among us, for with our light-weight oats 
they are more important than where the heavy oats 
of Europe can be obtained—oats weighing 40 to 47 
pounds to the bushel are not uncommon there, 
while here 32 pounds is a legal bushel by weight, 
and the measured bushel oftener falls below than 
it goes above that weight. Many city dealers sell 
90 lb. bags for 3 bushels. 
What to do with Non-heading Cabbages. 
Last autumn I was mourning over an unusual 
number of half developed cabbages, which were 
only fit to be fed to the cows, and mentioned the 
fact to a Dutchess Co. farmer, who is in business in 
New York, and has lately bought a farm near us, 
asking if his crop had turned out badly. His an¬ 
swer was, that he had no more soft heads than he 
wanted, or to the effect that he would feel disap¬ 
pointed if he had not a considerable number. Now 
we, neither of us, raise cabbages for market, but 
for our own consumption mainly, and I was utterly 
at a loss to know what he could do with a quarter 
of bis crop that failed to make heads. 
He told me that he dug a wide trench, so deep 
that after some top soil was thrown in he could set 
the cabbages out in the trench as close as they 
could stand, and their heads would not come up 
level with the top of the ground. When planted, 
he covers the trench with boards and some brush, 
corn-stalks, salt-hay, and earth on the top, keep¬ 
ing it open at the ends or elsewhere until cold 
weather, and then covering it in close. He said 
they would all have firm, solid heads in the spring. 
I tried it, and at the time I write (April) we are 
enjoying the best cabbages we ever ate. They are 
rather small to be marketable, say 41 to 6 inches in 
diameter, solid and sound, crisp and tender, as del¬ 
icate as cauliflowers, and what is most remarkable, 
I never know when we are going to have cabbage 
for dinner until I see it upon the table. The great 
objection I have to this most wholesome and de¬ 
licious vegetable is, that it usually fills the house 
with its perfectly detestable odor, so to have cab¬ 
bage without this drawback is worth all the trouble 
it costs. If these 
Winter-headed Cabbages 
could once become known in the market, I am con¬ 
fident their merits would command for them a 
ready sale all through the spring. The cabbages 
in market at this season are pretty poor. They are 
very apt to be slightly decayed, will keep but a lit¬ 
tle while, as they wilt at once, and soon after rot. 
I wish now that I had enough to test the market 
with, but I have not, and write this partly in the 
hope that somebody else will do it next year. 
While on this subject, I would like to mention a 
delicious kind of cabbage, which I saw for the first 
time in the Island of Jersey this winter. It is a 
non-heading variety, growing like a kale, hut 
with perfectly smooth leaves, and is known as 
tonvc Troncliouda, or Portugal Cabbage. 
It may be known in this country, but it is com¬ 
paratively new among English seedsmen, and is in 
none of our American catalogues. The large leaves 
are broken off from the stalks, and boiled, stems 
and all, and are almost as tender and delicate as 
asparagus. Very little odor comes from it, and a 
change of water almost entirely prevents that be¬ 
ing observed. I was delighted with it, and shall 
distribute the little seed which I brought, so that 
it shall be well tested this season.—[This has been 
known in this country for many years, but ap¬ 
pears to be dropped from the catalogues.— Ed.] 
Southern. Cow Peas—Cultivation. 
BY P. J. BERCKMANS, AUGUSTA, GA. 
[Last month we were unable to make room for 
Mr. Berckmau’s article, and merely gave such points 
in relation to the preparation of the soil and plant¬ 
ing, as were necessary for those who wished to try 
the crop. We now give the article entire. Ed.]. 
Any land susceptible of being plowed will, as a 
general thing, grow the cow pea, though some va¬ 
rieties, especially the “Clay,” “Red,” and “Black,” 
succeed better on poor land, than the “Lady ” or 
“Crowder” varieties. We often hear it said in 
referring to “ dead poor” land, that “ it will not 
sprout a cow pea.” 
Land is plowed in February or March, if an early 
crop is desired, but for fall crops, wheat or oat 
stubble is plowed as soon as these crops are har¬ 
vested. It is useless to sow before middle to end 
of April, as the seed will not germinate until the 
ground becomes well wanned. For an early crop, 
sow broadcast at the rate of one bushel to the acre, 
on ordinarily fertile lands, increasing the quantity 
to 5 pecks, or even 6 pecks, for poor lands. Plow 
the seed under with a light turning plow, and har¬ 
row the surface ; or the peas may be sown after the 
land is plowed, and harrowed in. If sown in July 
and August, it is preferable to plow in the seed, 
as deep covering will hasten their germination. 
On good soils two crops of forage are often cut 
from one sowing, providing the mid-summer season 
is the least favorable. As a renovator of lands, it 
is best to sow the end of April; let the crop grow 
until end of June, when the whole should be turned 
under, first sowing a couple (or more) bushels of 
land plaster over the vines ; then sow immediately 
again. This second sowing having a good supply 
of food, amply repays the loss of the first crop. 
Sometimes peas are planted in drills, but this is 
advisable only, if grown for forage, when other 
crops occupy the ground in part, such as melons, 
early corn, etc. 
Varieties Preferred for Forage. —All the 
plain or semi-colored varieties are of a spreading 
habit, and are best for this purpose. The “ Red,” 
“ Clay,” and “Black,” of the plain colored kinds, 
and the “ Whippoorwill,” of the semi-colored, are 
most esteemed; they spread over much surface, 
and are more prolific on ordinary soils, than the 
“ White Field,” “Lady Pea,” etc., which need bet¬ 
ter soil. The “Red Ripper,” or “Tory,” may be 
sown in fall if preferred, as it remains sound in the 
ground during winter. This variety is less in de¬ 
mand than the above named. 
Varieties for Market and Table. — The 
speckled varieties are usually bushy in growth, and 
unfit for forage. There are, however, some speckled 
varieties which are of spreading growth, but it 
is difficult, if not impossible, to know whether 
they will be bushy or not, by the seed, and their 
peculiarities can only he discovered when growing; 
hence it is safer when purchasing peas for forage, 
to procure the plain and semi-colored kinds. 
Bush Peas, (sometimes called China), are sown 
in rows, either in the open field, or between the 
rows of corn, when that receives its last working. 
They are harvested in the fall by being pulled up 
and thrashed. The “ Lady Pea,” and “ White 
Table,” are used for culinary purposes, sometimes 
as snaps, or shelled in the green state; when dry 
they are very desirable for soup, or they may be 
baked the same as the white bean, so widely 
known as one of the institutions of New England. 
Cutting and Curing Fodder. —The vines are 
fit to be cut “ when the pods are on the turning 
point,” that is, when here and there one is turning 
yellow. Usually the crop is cut by scythes, the ob¬ 
jection to mowing machines is, that the vines, 
when thrifty, are often badly lodged; this objec¬ 
tion may be overcome in a great measure by mix- 
ingsome grains of corn among the peas when sown. 
The corn-stalks helping to uphold the pea vines. 
The main difficulty in curing pea hay is, to re¬ 
tain the leaves on the stalks, and the vines must be 
handled as little after being cut as possible. Our 
plan for the past 20 years has been, to leave the 
vines, as cut, for one day ; then take three short 
rails, place them on end so as to form a sharp cone; 
on the ground and in center of this cone lay a 
longer rail, and after piling the vines around the 
erect rails as high as one can reach with a pitch- 
fork, lift up the end of the rail laying flat on the 
ground, and prop it up with a short stick. This 
will give ample ventilation to the middle of the 
stack. Leave the vines undisturbed for two to 
three weeks, when they will be found well cured 
and ready for storing in the barn or elsewhere. 
When storing away the fodder, use a liberal supply 
of salt spriukled over every layer. This will help 
it to keep its bright color, and he an advantage 
when feeding. 
Yield of Fodder and Seed, and Value.— It 
is difficult to state the average yield of both forage 
and seed, so much depends on quality of soil, 
manure, cultivation, and seasons. On good land, 
and under good culture, two tons of forage per 
acre may be expected. In very favorable years, 
when peas are sown at the end of April, we have 
frequently harvested two crops of forage from one 
sowing, and averaged fully two tons from each 
cutting. This, however, is unusual, and it is 
safe to say that one ton per acre, is a probable 
average under ordinary culture and seasons. The 
market value of pea hay ranges here from 75 cents 
per 100 lbs. in the fall, to $1.50 per 100lbs. in spring, 
and $20 per ton is about the average price. The 
yield of seed is very variable. Some farmers have 
harvested 30, and even as high as 40, bushels per 
acre, but under the ordinary system of cultivation 
10 bushels per acre is an average. This, however, 
as stated above, is produced when peas are sown in 
rows in corn fields, as one seldom sees a whole field 
devoted exclusively to growing peas for seed. Cow 
peas are always worth $1 per bushel. Sometimes 
they are quoted in the fall at 75 cts. to 80 cts., while 
in April and May they are often held at $2.50 per 
bushel. The table varieties, being smaller in size, 
and not cultivated in extensive field crops, com¬ 
mand higher prices than the field varieties. 
Value as Forage for Stock. —Well cured cow 
pea hay is more nutritious than any hay produced 
from grasses, millet, or other plants, used for the 
purpose. When the pods are left until they are 
filled, the value of the food is much increased. 
Horses and mules relish this forage wonderfully, 
and when fed upon it, should receive less corn or 
oats than when fed upon other provender. We 
find that one ton of good pea hay will last as long 
as a ton and a half of northern baled hay of good 
quality. The only care needed in feeding horses 
and mules on pea hay is, not to give them an over¬ 
feed of it, especially if the forage contains a large 
proportion of peas ; these are apt to create flatu¬ 
lence and colics. The forage may be given whole, 
or cut up wetted and sprinkled with some ground 
feed ; then neither com or oats should be given. 
We find it best to give two rations of whole pea 
hay per day, and one of corn or millet provender. 
—---•»—- 
Hay Caps. 
We have of late had many enquiries about hay- 
caps, and in reply have prepared the following 
illustrations, which show the manner in which they 
are made and used. 
These caps are of great 
value, as by their use a 
large quantity of hay 
may be secured in the 
field against a sudden 
storm, and the hauling 
of the hay may be left 
until the whole crop 
from one field has been 
cut and cured. They 
may also be used to cover shocks of grain, and pre¬ 
vent damage from rain while they are standing in 
the field. As the top, only, of the hay cock or grain 
shock needs to be protected, it is not necessary to 
have the caps larger than a yard or a yard-and-a- 
half square. The material is common brown cot¬ 
ton, and the kinds we have found preferable in 
