The Pea 



233 



early dwarf peas are procluctive in proportion to the 

 size of plant, but the actual yield is not large. Most 

 of them are harvested in one or two pickings. The early 

 pea does not compare with the string bean in productive- 

 ness, and allowance must be made for this fact in plan- 

 ning the home gar- 

 den, if one is fond 

 of green peas. 



As a canning crop 

 peas are sown broad- 

 cast or by a grain 

 drill. Usually the 

 crop is not tilled, as 

 it is off the ground 

 in June or July be- 

 fore the land gets 

 very weedy. The 

 crop is harvested 

 with a mowing-ma- 

 chine, gathered with 

 a hay - rake, and 

 hauled to the factory 

 where the threshing 

 is done. The straw 

 is used as sheep feed 

 and is valuable as manure. In central New York canning 

 peas are planted May 1 to 15; the crop is oif in July; li/o 

 tons to the acre is an approximate yield (in the pod). 



Peas are of two kinds as to character of seed : the seed 

 wrinkled and the seed smooth (Figs. 125, 126). The 

 wrinkled are the better in quality. There are dwarf and 



127. A legume,— the pod and seeds of pea (X %)• 



