Culture and Utilization of the Field Pea 743 



field peas as a grain crop 



Field-pea seed has been msed quite extensively by the fanners 

 of Ontario in feeding farm animals; and beef, mntton, and pork 

 produced with a ration composed partly of field peas is said to have 

 a particularly a.greeable flavor/ Feeding experiments, however, 

 indicate that the peas used alone as the grain part of a ration are 

 no better than com, Irashel for bushel, in amount of gain produced 

 and are a much more expensive feed." 



The field pea is reported also as being very efficient in a ration 

 for milch cows, especially when the peas are mixed with oats.^ It 

 is doubtful whether a feeder is ever justified in using field-pea 

 seed alone, for several reasons. When gromid or crushed, the 

 meal is heavy and hard to digest ; in addition to this failing, it is 

 too high in protein and too low in fat to make its use as a concen- 

 trate economical unless it is mixed with other grain feeds strong in 

 fat and carbohydrates. Table I, . from Wyoming Agricultural 

 Experiment Station Bulletin 84, illustrates this point. 



Table I. — Comparison of the Digestible Nutrients in Field 



Peas and Corn 



The proper place for the field pea in feeding operations seems 

 to be in a mixture with oats, barley, corn, or wheat bran, being 

 used as a carrier of protein in the northeirn feeders' ration much 

 as cottonseed meal is used in the South. 



1 Day, G. E., Bacon Production. Ontario Agr. Col. and Exp. Farm Bui. 129, 

 p. 15, 1903. 



2 Carlyle, W. L., FeeditKj Ground Com versus Ground Peas to Lambs before 

 and after Weaning. Wis.' Agr. Exp. Sta. 16th Ann. Rpt. (1898/99, p. 44-61, 

 fig. 4-5, 1899.) 



Day, G. E., Experiments in' the Feeding of Live Stock. Ontario Agr. Col. 

 and Exp. Farm Bui. 110, p. 7, 1900. 



Peas vs. Corn for Fattening Steers. Ontario Agr. Col. and Exp. Farm, 27 

 Ann. Rpt., 1901, p. 58, 1902. 



3 Murray, James, Experiments with Peas. Canada Exp. Farms Rpts., 

 (1908/09, p. 280-281, 1909.) 



