CROPS 131 



and haricot beans {Phaseolus vuli^arit), Lima beai»« {Phaseolus 

 Iwiatits), and a Japanese plant, Adzuki bean& (Phaseolus 

 radiatus), are also grown, chiefly as vegetables, feoy or Soja 

 beans (Soja hispida or Glycine hispida) are largely cultivated 

 in Japan, and have been introduced into America >.nd South 

 Africa. The velvet bean (Mucuna utilis) also does \> ell in hot 

 climates, and is a useful food for cattle, pigs and poultry. 

 Beans a»e always rich in protein, and furnish valuable /ood for 

 man or animals. Phaseolus lunatus, however, contains a 

 cyanogenetic glucoside, known as phaseolunatin, which some- 

 times leads to fatal poisoning when these beans areeaten. 



Peas. — The field-pea (Pisum arvense), the garden-pea (Pisum 

 sativum) and the edible -podded pea (Pisum mam^ocarpon) are 

 the principal species, each including many varieties. As a 

 field crop, peas are very uncertain in yield. They require the 

 soil to contain a considerable proportion of lime. On rich 

 soils they grow luxuriously, but yield little seed. 



The chick-pea (Cicer arietinum) yields a seed of similar com- 

 position to the field-pea, and can be used for similar purposes. 

 It is known as " gram " in India, The haulms, however, are 

 of little use as forage. It is well adapted for dry climates. 



The cow-pea (Vigna catjang or Dolichos sinensis) rather 

 resembles the bean than the pea. The seed may be used as 

 food for pigs, or the whole plant may be made into hay. 



The pea-nut (Arachis hypogcea) does well in hot countries. 

 After flowering, the stalk bends over and enters the ground, 

 where the seed grows and ripens. A light, porous soil is there- 

 fore best. In harvesting, the crop is ploughed up and the vines 

 and pods forked out of the ground. The seed is used for human 

 consumption, as "ground-nuts" or " monkey-nuts," as a source 

 of oil (for salads, <kc.), of which the kernels contain from 40 

 to 45 per cent., and is a valuable food for pigs, who enjoy 

 harvesting it for themselves. The foliage makes good hay. 



Lentils (Lens esculenta) are highly valued as a rich nitro- 

 genous item of diet for culinary purposes. The vines, too, when 

 cut early, form an excellent fodder or hay for cattle. 



