75 



ing up by running sheep on it until J une or J uiy, when he ploughs 

 the peas in 4 to 5 inches deep with the manure broadcasted, and he 

 cross-harrowed thoroughly. He uses the roller when the peas are 

 well out of the ground, and harrows again across the previous 

 harrowing. The peas are mowed when the top pods are just full, 

 not dry, and puts them in small heaps, from which you cart them in 

 and thrash them out at once (to save stacking) on a merely warm, 

 but not a hot day, to prevent the breaking of the haulms too small. 

 At Port Broughton the blockers planted in 1896 quite 50 acres with 

 peas for the Adelaide market, and did well with 14 in. rain. At 

 Lcbethal the peas are put through a chaffcutter, and then, after 

 being winnowed, are* stored for winter fodder. Mr. H. W. Robinson, 

 of Balaclava (with 16 in. rain), advocated the cultivation of 20 to 

 30 acres of peas annually, and never the same piece twice in suc- 

 cession. He drills them in 14 to 16 in. rows apart in June with 

 1 cwt. of superphosphate per acre. The Early Dun pea is recom- 

 mended by him as the best variety ; by Mr. H. Roediger, of Crawler 

 River (18.90 in.), the Yorkshire. The pea likes a light soil, with a 

 good proportion of lime in it, and Thomas phosphate could supply 

 this. From ^ to 2 bushels per acre is usual. Mr. Harper, of 

 Clarendon (32.46 in.), sows 3 bushels. For ensilage a mixture of 

 peas with barley is very good. Mr. H. Gray, of Hindmarsh. had on a 

 black flat 73 bags from 5 acres. Mr. J. Lewis, of Cherry Gardens 

 (about 36 in.), used 3 cwt. per acre of Thomas phosphate for his 

 peas, and had a splendid crop. Mr. R. Wood, of Dalkey (15 in.), 

 had 13 bags of peas from 3 acres broadcasted. Professor Wagner 

 recommends the use of 440 Ib. of any phosphate of 16 per cent, 

 and 160 Ib. of muriate of potash per acre. Plates could 

 show clearly how little difference a nitrogenous manure makes, while 

 potash and phosphoric acid are required for the full development 

 of the peas. Without manure the peas and straw show 2.02 g. of 

 nitrogen ; with the potash and phosphoric acid manuring no less 

 than 6.11 g. of nitrogen. We have, therefore, enabled the peas to 

 draw so much nitrogen from the air on giving a sufficient supply of 

 potash and phosphoric acid. Only in a very poor soil as regards 

 nitrogen it may be advisable to assist peas for their first development 

 with a small quantity of nitrate of soda, not exceeding, say, from 

 40 to 50 Ib. per acre. At the Agricultural Station at Georgia. 

 U.S., a very much larger application of nitrate of soda was given, 

 and the crop was also much better than with potassic and phos- 

 phatic manures alone ; but it is more than doubtful that the crop 

 was payable, and the air had not been drawn upon for nitrogen so 

 long as the manure contained it. At Hedwigsberg, near Frankfort, 

 ten experiments were made with peas in sandy soil, poor in lime, 

 and quite impoverished. The whole of the ten plots received per 

 acre 480 Ib. of Thomas phosphate (No. 1, nothing else) and eight 

 of them 6,400 Ib. of lime. After harvesting the peas the straw was 

 ploughed in for a crop of potatoes in 1894. (It should be men- 

 tioned, however, that the late Dr. Voelcker classified the value ef 

 pea straw as first, even better than oaten straw and bean straw with 

 the pods). 



