FORTY-FIRST ANNUAL CONVENTION 28S» 



sown in the fall, nsually the latter part of November. Some in- 

 jury has resulted from winter freezes, but a few varieties have 

 been found which will survive, and these have produced about 2 

 tons per acre of hay, or 14 bushels of thrashed peas when al- 

 lowed to mature. They are much more profitable in this way 

 than cowpeas planted as a summer crop following a small grain 

 or corn. 



In North Carolina it has been found possible to plant field 

 peas in February, harvest them in May, and then grow a crop of 

 cowpeas, sorghum, or millet on the same field. 



Diseases of the Field Pea. 



Powdery mildew, Brysiphc polygoni DC, is usually most 

 destructive on late-planted or late-maturing varieties of field 

 peas. It is also confined rather closely to humid climates, where 

 it sometimes reduces the yield considerably. The remedy for 

 this disease lies for the most part in the rotation of crops, but 

 where only small portions of a field are affected the disease can 

 be controlled by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. If large areas 

 are afTected it is not economical to spray. 



Another disease which has been troublesome in the pea- 

 canning districts of both Wisconsin and Ohio is the leaf-spot or 

 pea-blight, Ascochyta pisi Lib. This disease can be controlled 

 in the same way as powdery mildew by spraying- with Bordeaux 

 mixture where the area affected is small, but in large fields the 

 farmer must depend upon the rotation of crops. Although the 

 disease is carried on the seeds, treatment of the seed with insec- 

 ticides or hot water is not effective, because the germ of the seed 

 is injured by the treatment more quickly than are the spores of 

 the fungus. 



Insect Eenemies. 



The pea weevil (Laria pisorum Linn.) is the most serious 

 enemy of the field pea. 



This insect has done more than anything else to limit the 

 acreage devoted to this crop in Canada. According to Prof. C. 



