LEGUMINOSiE. CLXXI. Pisum. 



329 



boards nailed together lengthwise at right angles, which form a plant the earliest crops in the open ground." Nicol, IcaL 



very secure and easy-managed covering, but excludes light. A ^. 29. 



better plan would be to glaze one of the sides, to be kept to the 



south, and to manage such row-glasses, as they might be called, dom attempted. 



Beans may be forced in a similar manner, though this is sel- 



when ovtx peaSy beanSy spinach^ &c. as hand-glasses are managed 

 when over caulifloyversy that is, to take them off in fine weatlier, 



Field peasy their culture and uses. 



The pea is the most esteemed legume in field cultivation, both 



There are various inducements, however, to the cultivation of peas 

 in dry warm soils near large towns. Wlien the crop is good and 



crop is good 



or raise them constantly or occasionally, by brick-bats or other for its seed and haulm, and was cultivated by the Greeks and 

 props, as the weather and the nature of the crop might require." Romans, and in this country from time immemorial, though its 

 —Loudon, ency. gard, p. G91. culture appears to have diminished since the more general intro- 



Management of a late crop. The best variety for this pur- duction of herbage plants and roots ; and, excepting near large 

 pose is Knight's marrow-peay which maybe sown at intervals of towns for gathering green, and in a few places for boiling, the 

 10 days from the beginning to the end of June. '' The ground pea has given way to the bean, or to a mixture of peas and beans, 

 is dug over in the usual way, and the spaces to be occupied by " 

 the future rows of peas are well soaked with water. The mould 

 upon each side is then collected so as to form ridges 7 or 8 

 inches above the previous level of the ground, and these ridges 

 are well watered. The seeds are now sown in single rows 

 along the tops of the ridges; The plants grow vigorously, 

 owing to the depth of soil and abundant moisture. If dry 

 weather at any time set in, water is supplied profusely once a 

 week. In this way the plants continue green and vigorous, re- 

 sisting mildew, and yielding fruit till subdued by the frost." 

 Hart, trans, vol. 2. 



gathered green, few pay better. The ground, after the j^cas have 

 been removed, is readily prepared for turnips, wJu'ch also pay 

 well as a retail crop near towns, and the haulm is good fodder. 

 The varieties of peas cultivated in fields are numerous, but 

 they maybe divided into two classes, those grown for the ripened 

 seed, and those grown for gathering in a green state. The 

 culture of the latter is chiefly near large towns, and may be 

 considered as in part belonging to horticulture rather than agri- 

 culture. The grey varieties are, the early-grey^ the lale- 



^ lakmg the crop. "The early crops are generally gathered greyy the purple-greyy Marlborough-greyy and the horn-grey. 

 in very young growth, often too young, when the pods' are thin 

 and the peas small, for the sake of presenting some at table as 

 *oon as possible. In the main crops there is no cause for pre- 



cipitation; take them as they become pretty plump, while the 

 peas are yet green and tender. Leave none on to grow old, the 

 young pods will then fill in greater perfection, and the plants 

 ^vill continue longer in bearing." 



To save seed. « Either sow approved sorts in the spring, 



lor plants to stand wholly for seed, to have the pmls ripen in 



m perfection ; or occasionally leave some rows of any main 



The w^hite varieties grown in fields are, the pearly early Churl" 

 ton, golden Hotspury the common white or SuffoUcy and other 

 Suffolk varieties. New varieties are readily procured by selec- 

 tion or impregnation. 



In the choice of sorts, where it is desired to grow gveypeas 

 for the sake of the seeds, the early variety is to be preferred in 

 late situations, and the late variety in early ones ; but when it is 

 intended to grow them cliiefly for covering the ground, and for 

 haulm, then the late varieties claim the preference, and especially 

 the purple-grey. Of white peas to be grown for gathering 



J"op; let all the early pods ripen, and gather the later formed green, the Charlton is the earliest, and the pearl or common Suf- 

 nes tor the table, as the last gleanings of a crop seldom afford folk the most prolific. When white peas Sixe grown for boilers, 



good full seed. 



^ luJl seed. For public supply extensive crops are com- 

 ™y^^!fd »" fields. Let the seed attain full maturity, indi^ 

 to h i ^ P^^^ turning brown and the peas hardening ; then 



pU 1 f^ ^P ^"^ prepared for threshinrr out, in due time 

 Cleansed and housed, 



forcing peas. 



that is, for splitting, the pearl and Suffolk are also the best 

 sorts. It is supposed by some to be of considerable importance 

 to the economy of a farm, when the nature of the soil is suitable, 

 to have recourse to the early sorts, as by such means the crops 

 maybe in many cases cut, and secured while there is leisure, be- 

 Peasy' Nicol observes. " are often raised in fore the commencement of the wheat harvest. And where the 



nature of the soil is dry and warm, and the pea crop of a suf- 

 beans, ficiently forward kind, it may be easy to obtain a crop of turnips 



Ahercromhie. 



forrin y^^ reasy JNicol observes. " are often rai 



ung-houses, and are brought to perfection very early." 

 Phn.^ y^^^^SPeas in a pit, sow as directed for French 



or 



and 3 



2 In ? '""'SV' '" P''*^ ^'^ ^o^^S' and transplant when 

 Jnrl,«l f °^ ^"*° the pit in rows 15 inches asunder, ar 



•nches from each other in the row. 



and ""^'^'f "^^ may be progressive, beginning at 40° or 50° 

 of flou • ""^"^ ^^^ origin of the plant to the state 



in A r ^^T^' 1^"^ ^^^^^ flowering increase from 55"" to 70^, or 

 '" a regular heat betu 



from the same land in the same year, as has already been sug- 

 gested. But with this view it is the best practice to sow the crops 

 in the row method, and keep them perfectly clean by means of 

 attentive hand or horse-hoeing, as in that way the land will be in 

 such a statd of preparation for a crop of turnips, as only to re- 

 quire a slight ploughing, which may be done as soon as the pea^ 



temoe ^ "--»een the latter limits. For hot-beds the crop is removed, and the turnip-seed drilled in as quickly as 



65- fbrT^-"^^^^ ^^ ^^""^ ^^ ^^"^ fo^ the nursery-bed, and SS"" to possible upon the newly turned up earth. In some particular 



r iruiting. districts a third crop is even put into the same land, the turnips 



Fo^cim ^^^^ ?^P^^ ioforccy is the genuine early-frame. 

 some of f^^^^ ^" ajieach or cherry-house. For the earliest crop 

 ^e borrUv^ ^^c^ ^^i'ly-frame sort may be sown in October, in 



tended 



^ ot a cherry-house, peach-house, or vinery. 



m- 



being cleared off in the autumn, and replaced by cole-worts, for 

 the purpose of greens in the following spring. This, according to 

 Middleton, is the practice in some places in Middlesex, But it 

 is obviously a method of cultivation that can only be attempted 

 on the warm and fertile kinds of turnip soil, and where the ^ra 



t'»e forcing ^^^^^'■^'"^ ^'''^ beginning of the year. By the time . , . . r, i 



» to be 1 *=?"imences they will be fit for transplanting, which crops are early ; on the cold, heavy, and wet descriptions of land 



more row "^ '" *^^ ^^™^ borders, either in a single row, or in it is obviously impracticable, and wholly improi>er. Loudon, 

 'O'fs mav^l ^'^f°'''^'"g to the room. The distance between the 



" /n L- "^ ^ ^ '"c^^s, and 2 inches in the line. _.. , , - , , ., , t 



.^_ ,J^'^<^tng peas," Nicol observes " they should always be be in good tilth, not too rich, nor dunged along with the crop. In 



'i^liey become more prolific, and run less to Norfolk and Suffolk, 2>e«* are often sown after clover-leys, after 



encycL agri.p. 766 i • i u 



The soil best suited forj^cas is a dry calcareous sand ; it should 



^^'^splanted, 



*'J "^ to* tar"^"™"' 



than when they are sown where 

 Indeed, it would be worth while to trans- 



one furrow, or after corn crops on two furrows, one given m 

 autumn, and the other early in spring. 



Uu 



