250 



THE PEA CROP. 



of the earlier primary, as the carboniferous and silurian 

 series, are not, either from their composition or from the 

 surface area they occupy in this country, so suitable for 

 this crop. In the secondary series, too, we find many 

 soils equally unsuitable to it for instance, the weald and 

 gault clays of the cretaceous, the Bradford and lias clays 

 of the oolite ; while the new red sandstone, though rich 

 in marls, is in some places so destitute of lime as to form 

 very poor soils, and to need the addition of it artificially 

 before the cultivation of peas can be attempted with any 



prospect of success. 



Not only will the pea 

 grow on a lighter class of 

 soil than the bean, but it 

 will grow also on shallower 

 soils, as, although its habit 

 of growth is the same, the 

 plant itself is of more deli- 

 cate character, and its tap- 

 root contents itself with a 

 less depth of soil than that 

 which the bean requires for 

 its development. Neither 

 the strong clay soils nor 

 those of a humous charac- 

 ter such as the fen-lands, 

 bogs, &c. are suitable for 

 peas. The former will fre- 

 quently carry a good crop, 

 especially in a dry, warm 

 climate. At the same time, 

 they would be more suit- 

 able for beans, and would 

 produce a better crop; while the latter, if rendered 

 suitable, by claying or marling, for tillage cultivation. 



