LENTILS AND GARBANZOS 233 



LENTILS. 



Though of another botanical genus, lentils are best classed with 

 peas. They are quite hardy and make a good winter growth. Len- 

 tils are a kind of pea which Americans have little use for and our 

 seedsmen do not usually find it desirable to offer the seeds, which 

 indicates a minimum demand. They are grown just like a dwarf 

 pea. They have a pea's endurance of frost and are planted from 

 fall to spring for cultivation like peas. Lentils are rarely seen in 

 California, probably because peas are preferred, not only because 

 of flavor, but because of more easy handling. The lentil bears but 

 two seeds in a pod. It is like the garbanzo in that kind of shift- 

 lessness. Americans like peas which put eight or ten peas in a 

 pod and make the pod big enough to grab easily. Besides, the 

 lentil is not eaten as we eat peas : it is used only in stews and soups 

 and for that purpose we use "split peas," which are cheaper be- 

 cause more easily secured in quantity and suit our taste just as 

 well. One certainly should not undertake lentils extensively unless 

 he can get a contract with a buyer who has a good European 

 appetite. Owing to their early winter growth they may come into 

 use here for cattle food as in Europe. 



GARBANZOS. 



Another two-seeded pod bearer is the garbanzo or chick pea, 

 which is a hairy plant of the vetch family. Its uses are like those 

 of lentils, but it has also served widely as a coffee substitute. Its 

 culture is easy, like the pea in method, but the product is always 

 used dry or mature. The plant is more hardy against drought than 

 the peas. Its production in California is small, but seems to be 

 increasing. The price is uncertain : one must find some one to 

 contract for them. They are not much used by Americans. Money 

 has been made in the past by shipping them to Mexico, and there 

 is demand for them in places where Mexicans congregate in this 

 state. Garbanzos are not beans, and will not sell for beans. They 

 are near-peas. They are in their manner of growth and their uses 

 more like lentils, but in their appearance more like a lop-sided pea. 



