268 DRY LAND FARMING 



of movable hurdles finds most favor when this crop is 

 being grazed. Any waste through shelling may be vir- 

 tually avoided by allowing swine to follow the sheep 

 as gleaners. This method of harvesting insures the 

 consumption of the greater portion of the entire crop. 



The pea crop may also be harvested by swine. When 

 thus harvested, the crop may be sown alone better than 

 with other grain. The swine may be allowed to feed 

 upon the crop beginning with the early stage of ripening 

 and continuing the same until the crop is consumed. 

 The last of the gleaning should be done by other swine 

 that are not being fattened during the process of glean- 

 ing. The straw will be lost for feeding uses by such 

 gleaning. The dry harvest season in the semi-arid coun- 

 try makes such gleaning entirely practicable. 



When the crop is grown to furnish seed for table 

 use, it may be harvested with the pea-harvester as out- 

 lined above, or it may be cut with a bean harvester. 

 The threshing is very frequently done by using 

 the same machine that is used in threshing beans (see 

 p. 299). 



When the crop is grown to provide green manure, it 

 may be sown on irrigated land that is to be summer-fal- 

 lowed the same season. The -sowing should take place 

 quite early. The crop should be buried when, coming 

 into bloom, and a spring cereal crop will usually be made 

 to follow. On such land, the food furnished by such a 

 crop is usually considered too valuable for such burial. 

 When sown on irrigated land for such a use, the peas 

 are usually sown after a grain crop has been harvested 

 for the season. Where the seed is home grown and 

 cheap, this method of adding vegetable matter and fer- 

 tility to the land is very satisfactory. 



