FIELD CROPS 523 



found peculiarly beneficial for building up dairy cows when "out 

 of condition," and for sustaining them in fine form, and they are 

 also excellent for milk production. When given along with oats 

 and bran to cows in milk, they may usually form from one-third to 

 one-half of the grain portion by weight. 



Peas, when fed with judgment and care, supply an excellent 

 food for swine at all stages of development. They are well adapted 

 to the sustenance of brood sows during the nursing period, for the 

 reasons that have been given for their use with cows giving milk. 

 With shorts, ground oats, or wheat bran, they may oe made to 

 form one-third to one-half the grain portion. Peas are superior 

 to corn as a food for pigs at any time prior to the fattening season ; 

 hence they may be led to them more freely, but in no instance 

 should they form the sole ration before the finishing period be- 

 gins During the fattening period peas are unexcelled when fed as 

 the sole grain food They promote growth, while they fatten in 

 excellent form, and they furnish a sweet, firm, and excellent quality 

 of pork. 



Along with oats, in, say, equal parts by weight, peas make a 

 good grain ration for ewes in milk, and also lambs, more especially 

 when the latter are for the early market. They may be used in 

 greater proportion to fatten ewes quickly after the lambs have 

 been weaned. When sheep are being fattened for the block in 

 winter, no grain food can oe fed which will be found more suit- 

 able than peas and oats. When fed to sheep or poultry, or to brood 

 sows in winter, peas do not require to be ground. For all other live 

 stock it is considered advantageous to grind them, but in some in- 

 stances they are soaked for feeding to swine. When so prepared 

 they are frequently fed to growing swine when on pasture, and in 

 order to insure due mastication they should be fed on a floor. 



When pea straw is well cured, it is more relished by horses, 

 cattle, and sheep than the straw of rye, wheat, barley, or even pats. 

 Animals which have never eaten it may not take kindly to it at 

 first, but soon learn to eat it with a relish. The value of the straw, 

 however, depends largely upon the stage at which the crop is har- 

 vested, the mode of harvesting, and the perfection of the curing 

 process. 



Peas are more commonly used as a pasture when sown in con- 

 junction with some other kind of grain, and since they are more 

 easily injured by the trampling of live stock than other grain 

 crops, it is usual to pasture them only with sheep and swine. When 

 sown with oats or oarley, peas make a good summer pasture for 

 sheep. The greatest objection to such pasture is in the earliness 

 of the season at which it is produced. Of course, it may be grown 

 later, but will not produce so abundantly. 



Peas grown in conjunction with some other kinds of grain 

 are of great value as a soiling crop, owing, first, to the larger yields 

 obtained (from 10 to 20 tons per acre may be expected on average 

 soils) ; second, to the high nutritive value of the food, combined 

 with its palatability ; and, third, because of its timeliness. This 



