. Agriculture and the farming business . there are several other legumes that deserve atten-tion. Chief among these are the coiu-peOj grown chiefly inthe South; the vetches, the soy-bean, the peanut, field beansand peas, and several others of lesser importance. Theseare produced (1) for forage, (2) for soil renovation, and(3) for their seeds. The Cozv-pea The cow-pea is to the South what red clover and alfalfaare to the West and North. It grows successfully on almostany kind of soil found in the cotton belt, and its cultiva-tion is being rapidly extended throughout this region. The plant.—The
. Agriculture and the farming business . there are several other legumes that deserve atten-tion. Chief among these are the coiu-peOj grown chiefly inthe South; the vetches, the soy-bean, the peanut, field beansand peas, and several others of lesser importance. Theseare produced (1) for forage, (2) for soil renovation, and(3) for their seeds. The Cozv-pea The cow-pea is to the South what red clover and alfalfaare to the West and North. It grows successfully on almostany kind of soil found in the cotton belt, and its cultiva-tion is being rapidly extended throughout this region. The plant.—The cow-pea was but recently introducedinto this country, coming from China. The plant resem-bles the ordinary garden bean in appearance and manner ofgrowth. It reaches a height of from one to nearly fivefeet. The smaller varieties stand nearly erect, the tallervarieties spreading out vine-like on the ground. The leaves are broad, and grow in clusters of flowers resemble those of the garden pea, and are THE FARMING BUSINESS 295. _J The cow-pea. 296 AGRICULTURE AND greenish-yellow in color. The pods, which are cylindricalin shape, grow from two to some seven inches in roots, which penetrate deeply into the soil, bear tuber-cles, which are the home of nitrogen-gathering bacteria. Cow-peas as forage.—Cow-peas, when harvested forhay, yield from two to three tons to the acre. The feed-ing value of cow-pea hay is fully equal to that of red clover,and nearly equal to alfalfa or wheat bran. It has beenfound a better forage feed for working animals in the Souththan grass hay. It is rich in protein, and therefore an ac-ceptable substitute for corn or cottonseed-meal in the fat-tening of stock. Since the cow-pea is an annual, it does not lend itself tothe making of permanent meadows or pastures as doesalfalfa. Cow-peas sowed in corn are profitably used as pas-turage for hogs, the gain in weight being in some casesmore than twice as fast with a mixed feed of cow-peas a
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