380 



FIELD CROPS 



States. In the Northern states and in Canada, peas are 

 usually grown in combination with oats or barley for hay, 

 though they are also grown alone for the seed. 



509. Methods of Growing. The usual method of growing 

 peas is to sow from 1 to 2 bushels of seed to the acre with 

 a bushel of barley or oats, the grain furnishing a support for 



the pea vines and making them 

 easier to harvest. The growth of 

 peas is also better and they are 

 less troubled with such diseases as 

 mildew when they have some sup- 

 port. The seed is drilled in on 

 well-prepared land as early in the 

 spring as the ground can be worked. 

 As the seed is much larger than 

 that of the grains, it can be sown 

 more satisfactorily separately than 

 in a mixture, and the grain can 

 be added by going over the field 

 a second time. The common prac- 

 tice, however, is to sow the two at 

 one operation. The use of the 

 grain drill is desirable in order to 

 get the seed covered to the proper 



depth. After the seed is sown, no further treatment is 



required until harvest time. 



510. Making and Feeding the Hay. Field peas should 

 be cut for hay when the pods are filling but before any of 

 them are ripe. At this time the grain with which they are 

 sown should also be in the proper stage for hay. The crop 

 can be cut with the ordinary mower or with a mower with 

 buncher attachment. Curing in the cock is preferable to 

 long curing in the swath, for raking after the pods are dry 

 is likely to result in the loss of much of the seed. The curing 

 of the hay is not different from that of similar hay crops. 



Figure 129. — Branch of field pea 

 with pods and flowers. 



