CHAPTER XIX. 



PULSE CROPS. 



PEAS and beans are the pulse plants, and 

 although they are cousins they are 

 widely different in their requirements. 

 In this respect peas and beans resemble children, 

 who though in the same family, do not always 

 thrive under the same conditions or do best 

 with the same treatment. Both these crops 

 are legtuninous, and, therefore, capable of stor- 

 ing the nitrogen from the air in their roots, 

 and thus enriching the soil where they grow, 

 yet it is often necessary to apply nitrogen to 

 secure a quick start for, early crops. This is 

 especially true where the soU has not before 

 been used to grow leguminous crops. The more 

 we study plants the more we learn about children 

 and the more likely are we to recognize the 

 close relation between all forms of life. 



PEAS. 



Peas are a partial season crop, and do not 



require very rich soil. They are so hardy that 



the seed may be sown where it is to stand, even 



before frosty weather is wholly gone. It is 



best to plant the seed from three to five inches 



deep, which allows the roots always to be in 

 n 161 



