162 AMERICAN AGRICULTURE. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. 



THE PEA (Fisum sativum). 



THE pea, bean, tare or vetch, lupine, the clovers, and 

 some other plants, are all embraced in the botanical order 

 Leguminosa. The pea is valuable for cultivation, not only 

 for the table, but for many of the domestic animals. It is 

 largely fed to swine, sheep and poultry. For the former, it 

 should be soaked, boiled or ground. If land is adapted to it, 

 few crops can be more profitably raised for their use. It 

 ripens early, and when beginning to harden, they may be fed 

 with the vines, and the animals will masticate the whole, 

 and fatten rapidly. 



The Soil. The heaviest clays will bear good peas, but 

 a calcareous or wheat soil is better. Strong lands produce 

 the best crops, but these should be made so by manures pre- 

 viously applied, as the addition of such as are fresh, increases 

 the growth of haulm or straw, and sometimes diminishes 

 both the quantity and quality of the pea. When sown on a 

 poor sward, the manure should be spread before plowing. A 

 dressing of well-rotted manure increases the crop, and is a 

 good preparation when intended to be followed by wheat. 



Varieties. Of these there are many. The earlier kinds 

 are generally indifferent bearers, and their cultivation is 

 limited almost exclusively to the garden. Of those for 

 field culture, the marrow-fat are among the richest of the peas, 

 and they are preferred for good lands. The small yellow 

 are perhaps the best for poorer soils. There is a very pro- 

 lific bush-pea grown in Georgia, bearing pods six or seven 

 inches long, which hang in clusters, on a short upright stem. 

 The pods are filled with a white pea, which is highly es- 

 teemed for the table, either green or dry. In that latitude, 

 they bear two or three crops in one season. 



Cultivation. Peas should have a clean fallow or fresh, 

 rich sod, well harrowed. They are not affected by frosts, 

 and may be sown as soon as the ground is dry. This will 

 enable them to ripen in season to plow for wheat. They 



