THE PEA CROP. 263 



ferocious that the mother devours nine-tenths of her off- 

 spring. The " mole " is also one of their greatest enemies. 

 Their presence in soils may be detected by the little heaps 

 of earth thrown up by them in their progress. 



65. While, as we have shown, a good deal is known as to 

 the habits of the insect enemies of the bean crop, little 

 comparatively is at the service of the farmer as to its dis- 

 eases. The plants are liable to be attacked by a 

 "parasitic fungus" termed mildew, this being more the 

 case when sudden variations of temperature act in con- 

 junction with cold and wet weather, and in cold, un- 

 drained, heavy clay soils. A " fungoid disease," which has 

 been recently attacking the bean crop, will be found very 

 fully described by the eminent entomologist, the Kev. M. 

 T. Berkeley, in the Agricultural Gazette, p. 677, vol. for 

 1859. The leaves are covered with red and brown and 

 si} u ff- coloured blotches, which are, in fact, due to the 

 "uredo fabse." The plants sometimes recover from the at- 

 tacks of this disease even after it has been so far developed 

 as to give the crop " a very wretched aspect." Another 

 disease has been described by the same authority as affect- 

 ing the pods of the bean. Although at first it is confined 

 to the surface of the pod in the form of a scab or pustule, 

 it has been found to eat its way through the pod and 

 attach itself to the seed, which becomes deteriorated in 

 value. 



CHAPTER SECOND. 



THE PEA CROP. 



66. THE Pea crop next claims our attention. Like the 

 bean, it belongs to the class of dicotyledonous plants, and 

 the order Leguminosce,. The family is Pisum, and is, like 

 the bean, classed into two kinds, the field pea, or Pisum 

 sativum arvense; and the garden pea, Pisum sativum 



