CHAPTER XXVI. 

 PEAS. 



The Garden Pea. Pisum sativum. 



French, pois a ecosser; German, schal-erbsen ; Dutch, 

 doperwten ; Danish, skaloerte ; Italian, piselli da sgranare ; 

 Spanish, guisantes para desgranar; Portuguese, ervilhas 

 de grao. 



The Lentil. Lens esculenta. 



French, lentille; German, linse; Dutch, linze; Danish, 

 lindse; Italian, lente; Spanish, lenteja; Portuguese, len- 

 tilha. 



The Garbanzo or Chick Pea. Cicer arietinum. 



French, pois chiche ; German, kieher-erbse ; Italian, cece ; 

 Spanish, garbanzos; Portuguese, chicaro. 



Dry heat is offensive to the pea, and its occurrence im- 

 poses the chief limitation to the success of this vegetable 

 in California. The escape from this limitation consists in 

 winter growth, as far as practicable, and in recourse to 

 the coast region where atmospheric humidity is greatest 

 and summer heat least. The pea is very hardy against 

 frost, and this advantage goes far to compensate for its 

 susceptibility to drought, because it enables it to thrive in 

 the winter in the very places where it perishes in summer. 

 The obvious deduction is that in regions dependent upon 

 rainfall the garden planting of the pea must be as early in 

 the fall as adequate moisture has reached the soil, and in 

 regions where irrigation is available, it is desirable that 

 the start should be made in advance of rainfall for the 

 earliest product, and that other plantings follow for a suc- 

 cession, until it is ascertained what is the latest date of 

 sowing which will reach satisfactory maturity. If prac- 

 tice proceed upon this basis, the pea will be seen to have 



