Jasper County Democrat, Volume 17, Number 95, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 March 1915 — Soybeans and Cowpeas as Substitutes for Clover. [ARTICLE]

Soybeans and Cowpeas as Substitutes for Clover.

Many farmers are again face to face with the problem of what to do with the field where the clover failed last year and the question is asked: Shall I put it back to a grain crop or shall I try some kind of a substitute for the clover? If the future condition of the soil is to be considered, there is only one way to answer this question and that is to say, by all means use a crop that will come nearest to taking the place of clover. EVery time clover fails and the land is put back to a grain crop it becomes more difficult to secure a clover stand the next time it is tried, if there were no satisfactory substitutes for elover, there would be no alternative, but as it is there are at least two crops which can be used to good advantage and the man who .once becomes acquainted with their value will not worry much whether he gets a stand of clover or not. These two crops are soybeans and cowpeas and their use is perfectly practical. They will not only make good hay I to take the place of. clover but they will gather hitrogen from the air and benefit the soil much in the same way as closer would and, furthermore, the financial result will be just as satisfactory. For a number of years the soils and crop department of the experiment station has used both soybeans and cowpeas in this way on the

I niversity farm at Lafayette and on some of the outlying experiment fields with gratifying results.' If properly managed " both crops are sure and there is no longer any room to doubt whether or not they are practical,hey will not only pay as well as clover but the following corn crop wiR be just as good as on a clover aod.

If hay is needed to take the place of the clover xthjeh failed to stand, either cowpeas or one of the fine stemmed, rank growing rarities of soybeans can be used with full assurance that as large a yield of hay of fully as good quality can be secured. Last year on the Wilson farm we had about five and one-half acres of Sable soybeans which were planted about the first of June. The crop was intended for seed but the summer was ve'/J' dry and growth was slow until after the August rains. About the end of September it looked as though* the crop would hardly ripen for seed so it was cut and made into hay. The yield was 2.11 tons of cured hay per acre, which we sold directly from the field for sl6 per ton. The result was $33.76 per acre at a cost of about sll. The rest of the field, about fifty acres, including four other varieties, made an average of 16.2 bushels of seed to the acre which we are selling at from $2.50 to $3 per bushej. Corn in the same field made from forty to forty-five bushels per acre. In the case of the seed crop, we returned the straw to the land with a manure spreader and plowed it under late in the fall, and we feel that the land has received as much benefit as if five or six tons of manure to the acre had been applied. The soil preparation, for soybeans or cowpeas should be much the same as for corn. The crop may be planted with a corn planter, narrowing the rows to three feet if possible, and drilling the seeds about two inches apart in the row, which will require about half a bushel of seed to the acre, or a wheat drill may be used, using every fifth drill hole for planting in rows for cultivation. On clean ground where weeds are not likely to be troublesome, drilling solid without subsequent cultivation may be practiced. In this case a bushel of seed to the acre should be used.

For cowpeas special inoculation is seldom needed in this state but wherever soybeans are grown for the first time it is almost sure to be required. The inoculating process is very simple. Thoroughly mix about a gallon of moist, screened, inoculated soil with every bushel of seed as it is put into the drill or planter box. If seed is secured directly from farmers, a gallon of screened soil from the soybean field should be demanded with every bushel of seed bought. Most i farmers selling seed are prepared to furnish this. Planting should be done right after the best time to plant corn but both of these crops will stand much later planting if necessary, except in the case of late vanities intended for seed production. Southern seed should be avoided, except for hay production, as the southern variti.es are too late maturing for this state. There is plenty of good seed available in Indiana and neighboring states north of the Ohio river.

Ordinarily it will pay well to drill with the seed about one hundred and fifty pounds of a fertilizer containing ten to twelve per cent of phosphoric acid and four to six per cent of potash. For soybean hay production, Sable, Peking, Jet, Black Beauty or Wilson are all good. Ito San and Bat-ly Brown will make good hay but they do not make as large a growth. Hollybrook and Mikado may also be used but the stems are coarser and the quality of the hay will not be as fine. The crop should be cut when the pods are about half grown, put up in sma!4 cocks as soon as thoroughly wilted and allowed to stand for several days tlQcure before hauling. For cowpea hay the Whippoorwill, Clay, Iron and New Era are all good. The Blackeye and Black are less productive for hay. Cowpeas should not be Cut for hay until the first pods have turned yellow; otherwise the crop should be treated the same as soybeans.

For seed production in northern Indiana, Ito San or Early Brown should be used. In central and southern Indiana the late varieties mentioned under hay production may also be used. The seed crop should be cut when the majority of the pods are ripe and about half the leaves have fallen off. In southern Indiana and on light sandy soils in northern Indiana, the cowpea will make fair seed yields’ The Blackeye for the north and the Whippoorwill for the south lire leading varieties. Every farmer who needs a substitute for clover should investigate these ‘crops. It will pay. A good bulletin, fully describing varieties and cultural methods, may be secured from Purdue Experiment Station, Lafayette,. Indiana. The station can also tell where seed may be secured. A. T. WIANCKO, Chief in Soils and Crops.