Culture and Utilization of the Field Pea 745 



Even the straw from thrashed peas caiTies a siiificiently high 

 percentage of protein to warrant its careful preservation and use 

 as feed. 



FIELD PEAS AS SILAGE 



It is not economical to put the field pea in the silo alone, on 

 account of its high protein content. It makes a better-balanced 

 ration and keeps better when combined with some small grain, 

 which should be mixed with the peas in sowing if the crop is 

 intended especially for ensilage. The chief source of pea ensilage 

 is the refuse of pea canneries. This material is not often placed 

 in a regiilar silo, but is stacked up green as it comes from the can- 

 nery and allowed to ferment in the stacks. The surfaces of the 

 stacks that come in contact with the air always spoil; however, 

 twelve or eighteen inches below the surface the material will be 

 found packed down closely and in good condition, if the stack has 

 been well built. (Fig. 683.) Feeding tests made with pea silage 

 preserved in this way indicate a very high value, especially for 

 dairy cows.^ 



Fig. (i83. — A Stack of Pea -Vine Refuse from a Canning Factory at 

 Genbseo, N. Y. Note the Incline Up which the Load of Refuse is 

 Hauled to be Dumped on the Stack. 



VALUE OF FIELD PEAS IN ROTATIONS 



The value of the field pea in rotations with hay, grain, and com 

 crops has been proved. In the northeastern and north central states, 



1 More detailed information on this practice will be found in Bureau of 

 Plant Industry Circular 45, The VtUization of Pea-Cannery Refuse for 



Foraye. 



