As A Catch Crop
Categories:
OTHER LEGUMES AND CEREAL CATCH CROPS
A leading use of the cowpea is that of a catch crop,
either between other crops or in a growing crop, such as corn. Early
maturing varieties can be brought in between main crops of the rotation
in warm latitudes. The growth prevents the leaching of plant-food,
shades the ground, adds nitrogen to the soil, smothers weeds, and
produces material that is valuable as feed for livestock or an addition
of organic matter to th
soil. When the time that can be devoted to the
crop is short, an early variety should be selected because its vines
are far more valuable to the soil than an equal volume of a
rank-growing variety that is not near maturity.
Great Kanawha Valley, W. Va.]
If this legume were used whenever opportunity afforded along the
southern border of our northern states, and throughout the south, the
faded color of soils, resulting from leaching rains, would be replaced
by the darker colors that mark the presence of rich organic matter. It
is one of nature's best allies in the maintenance of soil fertility.