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. ~ 26 _ Bulletin 232  t
l   value, but the price has been so high that the beans could not  
  be used profitably as feed except when hogged down or fed _ 
  without threshing.  
  The introduction of soybeans into a rotation following  ji
i corn obviates the necessity of cutting the corn to seed wheat, a ;_· 
t point which will appeal to many farmers who consider that ,  
l the best use of corn stover is to leave it on the field. Another  
advantage is that better yields of wheat are obtained after  
i soybeans than after corn. At the Kentucky Experiment Sta-  
i tion the average yield of wheat following corn has been 21.8  
bushels over a 7-year period, while after soybeans it has been  T
. 27.8 bushels, a gain of 6 bushels per acre.  T
y Soybeans are valuable for sowing as a catch crop for soil  
I improvement or for making an emergency hay crop. They  ’ '
l may be planted after small grains are harvested and in most ,
l seasons will make fair yields. As a general thing, however,  
t eowpeas are better as a catch crop than soybeans.  
A COMPARISON OF SOYBEANS AND COWPEAS 1
Soybeans and cowpeas are similar in respect to the place  Y
· they may till in the cropping system. It has been stated that  
.,  soybeans are superior to cowpeas under most conditions in this .~ 
~ state and a comparison of the two crops will indicate the  
2 reasons for such a statement. It is not desired to give the  l
{ impression, however, that soybeans should always be grown  A.
  in preference to cowpeas. In fact, there are certain conditions `
A and certain purposes for which the latter are much better' i
1 than soybeans, as will be pointed out. ln discussing the rela- c 
A. , tive advantages and disadvantages of these two crops, the  `·
i question of soil adaptation and climatic influence upon yield  ‘
are also discust quite fully, and need not be treated separately.  
On fairly good land-land that will make 35 bushels or more  ei
' of corn per acre—soybeans are decidedly superior to cowpeas  
when grown as a full season crop. Their upright habit of 5
growth makes them easier to mow when grown for hay and they  I
are much more easily cured than cowpeas. They yield as much i