740 'Grasses and Leguminous Crops in N^ew York 



trolled by the size of the opening in the feed rather than by the 

 rapidity of its motion is essential. 



To secure the best results, field peas, like all other legumes, 

 must have upon their ix>ots nodules caused by nitrogen-fixing 

 bacteria ; however, since the almost universal use of the pea as a 

 garden vegetable has supplied the soil in New York with the 

 necessary bacteria, it is not usually necessary to inoculate the soil 

 artifically. 



Fig. G80. — A Mower Showing an Attachment De- 

 signed TO Raise the Pea Vines Off the Ground 

 AND Allow the Passage of the Cutter Bab 

 Beneath them. 



HARVESTING THE FIELD PEA 



The proper time to cut peas for hay is when most of the pods 

 are first formed. When seeded in mixtures with grain, the time 

 of cutting may be governed to some extent by the maturity of 

 the grain, but the varieties of peas and grain used in the mixture 

 should be so chosen that the cix)p can be harvested at the most 

 favorable period of maturity for both. 



Formerly, a crop of field peas was considered very difficult to 

 harvest, and much of the harvesting was done with a scythe or an 

 old-fashioned cradle. Thei-e is an attachment for the ordinary 

 mower now available, however, which consists of guards that 

 extend in front of the cutter bar, lifting the vines oif the gi'ound 

 and allowing the mower to pass im.derneath without becoming 



