154 AGRICULTURAL TEXT-BOOK. 



was free from the weevil, and a large portion of the peas con- 

 sinned in the Northern States were imported thence, but this 

 immunity is said to have passed away. According to Dr. Har 

 ris, the weevil, as late as 1852, was rare in New Hampshire, 

 and still unknown in Maine. 



&quot; The en &amp;gt; \v black I &amp;gt;i nl (Q &amp;lt;iscalus verticolor,) is said to devour great 

 numbt-rsof these beetles in the spring ; and the Baltimore Oriole. (Icte 

 rus tiaUtmorc.) splits open the green pods for the sake of the grub con 

 tained in the pe.ise, thereby contributing greatly to prevent the increase 

 of these noxious injects. The instinct that enables this beautiful bird 

 to detect the lurking grub, concealed as the latter is, within the pod and 

 the hull of the }&amp;gt;e. , is worthy our highest admiration.&quot; (H&amp;lt;rrix.) 



368. The Statutes of Michigan provide no standard weight 

 for the bushel of pease. The average crop is from 20 to 25 

 bushels, but as high as 50 bushels per acre is not very uncom 

 mon. 



369. Pease are frequently fed to hogs. As has been already 

 perceived they possess little capability to fatten, but no food can 

 be given which will form flesh more rapidly ; and in this re 

 spect they are essentially useful. They should be either ground 

 and cooked, or soaked and partially soured before feeding. If 

 fed whole, they are apt to swell greatly in the stomach, and in- 

 jire or even kill the animal; but if this does not occur, much 

 will be passed undigested, therefore wasted. At present, ground 

 pease are made into bread in Scotland and some other coun 

 tries. Soup or gruel made of ground pease is an excellent food 

 for calves. 



It is customary, in some localities, to sow pease and oats together, for 

 the purpose, afterwards, of feeding to horses The supposed benefit de 

 rived is the upholding of the pea, HS it clings to the straw of the oat. 

 &quot;VW are inclined to think, however, that the oat will suffer as much or 

 more from the overshadowing of ihe pea, as the pea gains from the pro 

 tection of the oat ; and prefer mixing the two afterwards as we require 

 them. 



In some soils, n heavy crop of pease proves beneficial in destroying 

 ; and leaves the ground both clean aud mellow. The roots of 



