than May 15, or at the higher altitudes about the Ist of June, and, 

 if some of the short-season varieties are procured, there will be 

 less danger of their being caught by early frosts. Gram is grown 

 in India as a winter crop. The seed is sown there in October or 

 November and the crop ripens in February, March, or April, accord- 

 ing to the portion of the country in which it is grown. It is said to be 

 adapted to almost any soil, from Ught sandy to heavy clays or loams, 

 apparently preferring the latter. It might prove of some value in 

 parts of the Southern States as a winter crop and soil cover, on lands 

 which are unsuited to the vetches and the crimson clover. It requires 

 only moderate amounts of moisture and is said to be injured by pro- 

 longed cloudy weather or abundant rains, which cause it to flower 

 prematurely and thus materially affect the yield of seed. 



AS A SOIL RENOVATOR. 



Gram is one of the leguminous forage crops which has the power 

 of absorbing gaseous nitrogen from the air, thus adding to the stores 

 of nitrogen in the soil, and though the fact of nitrogen-absorption by 

 leguminous plants has not been well understood until recent years, 

 this has long been considered one of the best Indian crops for soil 

 renovation and improvement. Watt states that over a large portion 

 of India gram is grown either to check weeds or as green manure, 

 and where this is the main object, only enough seed is saved to sow 

 again the coming season. 



FOR FEEDING PURPOSES. 



Gram is a staple article of horse feed in India. The seed is also 

 highly valued for fattening sheep and cattle. There is a considerable 

 trade with England and other foreign countries where the peas are 

 used for the same purposes. The total exports amounted in 1887 to 

 over 15,000 tons. The average analyses of the seeds show that they 

 contain about' 20. 5 per cent crude protein, 3.9 per cent fat, and 50.4 

 carbohydrates, having approximately the composition of the seeds of 

 the field pea commonly grown in the Northern States. Digestion 

 experiments have not been made with them but their fattening quali- 

 ties in use show them to be fully as valuable as the seeds of many 

 of the other legumes. 



Besides serving as a fattening ration for cattle and sheep the seeds 

 and different parts of the plant find many uses among the natives of 

 India. The green peas are eaten as a vegetable. The meal is used 

 for porridge ; and the parched peas are used either in the prepara- 

 tion of a beverage or in various confections and candies. The young 

 plants are eaten as a salad and sometimes cooked like spinach. 



OTHER USES — POISONOUS QUALITIES. 



The leaves of the gram are viscid with a secretion which contains 

 oxalic, acetic, and mahc acids, the first of these predominating. In 



