22 FORAGE-CROP EXPERIMENTS AT SAN ANTONIO. 



CANADA FIELD PEAS. 



For a winter legume the Canada field pea does fairly well. In the 

 winter of 1908-9, which was extremely unfavorable, a fair crop was 

 produced, and an excellent crop was grown during the whiter of 

 1907-8. This pea does not successfully withstand the hot summer 

 weather, and consequently it can be grown profitably only as a winter 

 crop. The peas should be planted about the first of November or 

 earlier, in order to become well established before a severe freeze 

 occurs. Later planting sometimes proves successful, but it is not 

 generally advisable. It is necessary to plant early enough to have 

 the crop mature before the hot months of the summer. In this 

 respect Canada field peas are much like oats. 



A somewhat larger test was made during the winter of 1910-11, 

 when three varieties wore grown. Owing to the severe freeze of Jan- 

 uary all of the varieties were killed nearly to the ground and some 

 of them were killed outright. S. P. I. No. 22042 (McKay) proved to 

 be the hardiest of those grown. Three plats one-tenth of an acre in 

 size were devoted to as many different methods of planting. 



Table XVII. — Yields in 1911 of ( 'anada field peas planted alone and with oats in 1910. 



Method of planting. 



Peas and oats mixed, proportion 1 to 5, 12-inch drills. 



Peas alone, 12-inch drills 



Peas and oats mixed, proportion 1 to 5, 24-inch drills. 



Rate of 

 seeding. 



Pounds. 



112 



120 



56 



Yield 



of hay 



per acre. 



Tons. 

 1.23 

 1.94 

 1.16 



It is doubtful whether any combination with oats will give as high 

 a yield as when the peas are grown alone, as will be seen from the 

 yields shown in the table. It will be observed by consulting Table 

 XI that the peas gave a much larger yield than did any of the varie- 

 ties of oats (PI. IV, fig. 1), and being a leguminous crop they also 

 improved the soil on which they were grown. The hay is extremely 

 palatable, and being rich in protein it is of value to mix with oat or 

 sorghum hay. As a winter green-manure crop it is of particular 

 value. 



A rather more extensive test of this crop was made in the winter 

 of 1911-12. About 50 varieties bearing S. P. I. numbers were plant ed 

 in 1-rod rows, but owing to the ravages of birds it was necessary to 

 replant, making the resulting crop so late that the test was of little 

 practical value. 



Plantings in the orchards on the farm resulted more satisfactorily. 

 S. P. I. Nos. 18806 (Erfurt), 30307 (Canadian Beauty), and 30134 



[Cir. 100] 



