308 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES. 



able to receive considerable rain without baking. This 

 method answers well on light soils in the interior early 

 winter, and the moist condition of the upper coast valleys 

 is also satisfactory. In the upper coast valleys peas can 

 be safely sown as late as May for summer crop and forage. 

 Wherever heat or drouth and hard ground are likely to 

 be encountered before the vines cover the ground, drill 

 culture and cultivation are better. 



Peas in the Orchard. It has already been mentioned 

 that the winter growth of peas in the orchard for plowing 

 under for green manure, is gaining popularity in this 

 State. The pea has the power of appropriating atmos- 

 pheric nitrogen and its growth in the winter in the 

 warmer parts of the State may be effected with little loss 

 of moisture to the trees. Growing the pea crop in the 

 orchard to be" gathered green for canners' use has also 

 been successfully done in this State, where the trees are 

 small. The pea is probably one of the least injurious of 

 the inter-cultures, and under certain conditions may be 

 of actual benefit to the trees. For this purpose the crop 

 should be gathered and the green vine plowed in as early 

 as possible. 



No Support for Peas. Peas are chiefly grown as a pros- 

 trate crop in California, both in garden and field. The 

 preference is for the dwarf or medium high kinds and 

 they are allowed to stand or mat down as they see fit. It 

 better suits a climate where reclining on the ground very 

 rarely induces mildew and where the covering of the 

 ground assists in maintaining the coolness and moisture 

 of soil which delights the pea. 



Varieties. Of the two main divisions of pea varieties, 

 the smooth and the wrinkled skins, the smooth are the 

 more hardy and can be safely grown early. The smooth 

 pea may resist decay and grow where the wrinkled seed 

 will perish. And yet the wrinkled pea is so popular that 

 wrinkled varieties have almost excluded the smooth kinds. 



Alaska : tall growing, small smooth pea ; pod short, well 

 filled ; very early. 



