264 DRY LAND FARMING 



many varieties of the Canadian peas that are grown. 

 The colors embraced will be white, yellow, gray or blue, 

 according to the variety grown. The Mexican is some- 

 times sown in the higher mountain valleys to provide 

 grazing. When sown for plowing under to enrich the 

 land, the large Marrowfat varieties will best serve the 

 purpose. When garden varieties are grown, especially 

 in the absence of irrigation, the dwarf and early matur- 

 ing varieties will probably give the best results. 



Peas should be sown early, as early in the season 

 as the ground is in condition for being worked. Late 

 sowing has been the cause of many failures in the at- 

 tempt to grow peas. Only when sown on irrigated land 

 and when the crop is to be buried as a fertilizer will it 

 be in order to sow the crop late. Under dry conditions 

 such sowing would result in certain failure. 



Ordinarily the crop is sown with the grain drill. 

 When thus sown, it should be buried deeply. This is im- 

 portant because of the favorable bearing which it has 

 upon resistance to drought. Care must be taken not to use 

 a drill that will break the peas in the act of sowing them. 

 They may be covered by discing when drill sowing is not 

 possible. The common harrow does not provide a suf- 

 ficiently deep covering for the peas. A shower following 

 such a covering will uncover many of the peas. When 

 sowing the garden varieties they are frequently put in 

 with a hand drill, but may be sown with a grain drill by 

 using only such of the spouts as may be necessary. In 

 some instances, double rows are planted, making the two 

 rows thus planted about 6 inches apart. The distance 

 between the rows, single or double, is from 30 to 42 

 inches, according to the variety. They should be far 

 enough apart to admit of easy cultivation. 



Field peas are, in some instances, sown thus, but 

 whether it will pay better to grow them thus than in 

 the ordinary way, under average conditions of growth. 



