28 



BULLETIN 412 



Miscellaneous returns 



The pea crop yields two products, peas and vines. The vines, after 

 being threshed, usually are stacked. At a few factories they are put 

 into silos. The outside of the stack rots, shutting out the air, and the 

 interior becomes ensilage. This is usually sold back to the growers. 

 The prices charged and the quantities allowed the growers vary consider- 

 ably in the different areas. The ensilage is usually divided among the 

 growers according to the acreage grown or the weight of shelled peas 

 delivered. Ordinarily about two tons of ensilage are returned per acre. 

 Frequently the owner of the land on which an outlying viner station 

 is located receives, without cost or at a nominal sum, a considerable pro- 

 portion of the ensilage. He usually grows a considerable acreage of peas. 



In figuring the net cost of shelled peas, the estimated value of the vines 

 above the charge made by the canner and the cost of hauling was deducted 

 from the total cost of the crop. None of the regions included in the survey 

 are important livestock regions, livestock being kept principally to utilize 

 by-product roughage. The pea- vine ensilage is fed chiefly to dairy cattle 

 and to sheep. In counties where dairying is more important, the ensilage 

 would be a larger item of credit to the crop than in the areas included 

 in this study. In dairy sections the green vines are often drawn home as 

 they come from the viner, and fed to the stock. No charge is made for 

 these ordinarily. 



Factors affecting net returns 



Other factors than price must be considered in comparing payments 

 made by different companies. The more important of these are: (i) 

 The price at which seed is charged. With a crop of 1800 pounds per 

 acre, a change of $i per bushel in the price of seed is equal to a change 

 of about $4.50 per ton in the price of the peas. (2) The practice of the 

 companies as to weighing. Some companies weigh the peas as they come 

 from the viner without cleaning, others partly clean them, and others clean 

 thoroly with a blower-cleaner before weighing. (3) The price at which 

 the growers are allowed to purchase ensilage. If two tons of ensilage are 



TABLE 20. 



NUMBER OF ACRES, AND YIELDS OF SHELLED PEAS PER ACRE, 

 OF VARIETIES OF PEAS GROWN 



