PEA. 



231 



tind if the tender pods are not found till tliat period has 

 passed, the peas will be fre-e from bugs. Col. Worthing- 

 ton, of Rensellaer county, N. Y., " sowed his peas on the 

 10th of June, six years in succession, and a bug ha.s never 

 been seen in his peas. Whereas his neighbours, who have 

 not adopted this practice, have scarcely a pea without a 

 bug in it. He supposes the season for depositing the egg 

 of the pea-bug is passed before the peas are in flower." — 

 Mem, of N, Y. Board of Agriculture^ vol. ii. p. 23. The 

 only insect that commonly injures our peas is a small brown 

 bug or fly, the egg [or larva] of which is deposited in them 

 when they are young, and the pods easily perforated. The 

 insect does not come out of its nest till he is furnished with 

 short wings. They diminish the peas in which they lodge 

 nearly one half, and their leavings are fit only for the food 

 of swine. The bugs, however, will be all gone out if you 

 ikeep them to the following autumn. But they who eat 

 buggy peas the winter after they are raised, must run the 

 Tenture of eating the insects." — Deaneh N, E, Farmer. 

 The same writer recommends, when seed-peas are known 

 or suspected to contain insects, to scald them a quarter of a 

 minute in boiling water, spread them about, and sow them 

 without delay. If any of the bugs should be in the peas, 

 this scalding will destroy them ; and the peas, instead of 

 being hurt, will come up the sooner, and grow the faster. 



Mildew is another evil attending peas, especially such as 

 are sown late in the season. This disorder is supposed by 

 Knight to be caused by " a want of a sufficient supply of 

 moisture from the soil, with excess of humidity in the air, 

 particularly if the plants be exposed to a temperature below 

 that to which they have been accustomed." The remedy 

 which he recommends is, to " give water rather profusely 

 once a week, or nine days, even if the weather proves 

 showery." — See N. E, Farmer^ vol. i. p. 414. 



Use, — The use of peas for soups, and other culinary pur 

 poses, is well known. They are likewise very serviceable 

 in fattening hogs, for which purpose they should be har- 

 vested dry, and ground into meal. If the straw be forward 

 in autumn, and has been harvested without injury, it will 

 be little inferior to ordinary hay for feeding cattle. 



" In boiling split peas, some samples, without reference 

 to variety, fall or moulder down freely into pulp, while 

 others continue to maintain their form. The former are 

 called boilers. This property of boiling depends on the 

 soil : stiff land, or sandy land that has been limed or marled, 



