COMMERCIAL PEA GROWING 231 



For the Earliest Peas. The earliest peas, counting the first of 

 July as the beginning of the California season, are in picking con- 

 dition in December, from seed sown in August and September. 

 Irrigate the land thoroughly, plow well, harrow, and sow the seed 

 with a drill as nearly as practicable an inch apart in rows two and 

 a half feet distant. Another way is to open a shallow furrow with 

 a single plow, scatter the seed in the furrow and cover with a cul- 

 tivator, covering the seed and stirring the space between the rows. 

 In growing peas on hillsides for very early market, the foreigners, 

 who are the chief growers, depend much upon hand work and bring 

 the rows nearer together. Irrigation must be used from time to 

 time to keep the soil from drying until the rains come and subse- 

 quently if the rains are light. The plants must be pushed to bring 

 well-filled pods and continual moisture is essential. Cultivation, to 

 keep the soil clean and mellow, is necessary. A light harrow can 

 be safely used with peas even after the plants appear. After this 

 the free use of the cultivator will be found profitable. 



Peas in the garden are often successfully grown in hills about 

 three feet apart with about a dozen peas in a hill. Where there is 

 apt to be much winter water and the soil heavy, a raised bed is 

 desirable. 



Later Sowing. Whether it will be profitable to arrange for a 

 succession of peas in the early winter depends upon the local soil 

 and climate. On light soils and in regions of moderate rainfall and 

 frost it is quite feasible, but in most regions December and January 

 bring the lowest temperatures and the longest rainstorms of the 

 year, and the ground is out of condition. The advent of February 

 changes things enough to meet the requirements of the pea, and then 

 the sowing for the spring and summer succession may begin. At 

 first the ridge or raised bed method will give safety against exces- 

 sive water, but later sowings should be made for flat culture on soil 

 most thoroughly prepared and well cultivated afterward. 



Field Growth. Where peas are sown for forage or for a crop 

 of dry peas, sowing can be done broadcast on land which has been 

 previously plowed and harrowed, and then the seed is covered with 

 a shallow cross-plowing of the whole field. If the soil is friable 

 and a good condition of moisture, this leaves the surface well loos- 

 ened and able to receive considerable rain without baking. This 

 method answers well on light soils in the interior early in the winter, 

 and the moist condition of the upper coast valleys is also satisfac- 

 tory. In the upper coast valleys peas can be safely sown as late 

 as May for summer crop and forage. Wherever heat or drought 

 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 being widely practiced in this state. The pea has the 

 power of appropriating atmospheric nitrogen and its growth in the 



