264 The Profitable Culture of Vegetables. 



and where a good class trade is done it is sometimes advisable 

 to divide the pods of one variety into two grades. It is the 

 custom in many places where Peas are grown in large breadths 

 to defer gathering until the bulk of the crop appears ready, 

 then a large number of " pickers " principally women and 

 children are turned into the fields, who clear the ground as 

 they go. A handful of haulms are pulled up by the roots, and 

 being held in the left hand, roots upwards, are stripped of the 

 pods with the right hand. This appears a wasteful method, 

 but it results in a large saving in the labour bill and the ground 

 becomes much sooner available for other crops. The haulm is 

 cured on the ground as it lies, and then is carted away and 

 made into stacks of " pea straw," which when cut into chaff and 

 mixed with other materials is a valuable food for cattle. 



Manures : For a good crop of Peas it is essential that the 

 soil contains an abundance of plant foods, but it should not be 

 overloaded with manure or the crop will be likely to run to leaf 

 instead of pods. When a good dressing of manure has been 

 given to the preceding crop, very satisfactory results can be 

 obtained from concentrated fertilizers alone, and in any case 

 manure alone should not be relied on, as a better crop is 

 obtained when it is supplemented with fertilizers. When 

 manure it given to this crop it should be at the rate of about 

 10 tons per acre on heavy soils up to from 15 to 20 tons on 

 thin sandy soils. This should be applied, if possible, in the 

 autumn, remembering that the nearer the time of sowing the 

 greater the necessity that it should be in a thoroughly decayed 

 condition. The next point is to ensure that sufficient lime is 

 present in the soil. This may be readily ascertained by applying 

 the simple test given on page 52. When lime is needed it may 

 be given in the form of quicklime, either ground or in the lump, 

 in quantities varying from 1 to 2 tons per acre, or as ground 

 limestone or chalk at from 2 to 4 tons per acre. Fertilizers 

 to supplement the manure must contain phosphoric acid and 

 potash, with nitrogen in the spring if growth appears backward. 

 For heavy soil this may be given in the form of 5 cwt. basic 

 slag evenly distributed over the surface in the autumn, and 

 1 cwt. sulphate of potash similarly applied soon after the turn 

 of the year. For light land give from 3 to 5 cwt. kainit in the 



