1920.] 



Pea and Oat Hay. 



IIOI 



long straw, grows very densely on the ground, and yields a 

 large bulk. If this variety cannot be obtained, vSandy, Blainslie 

 or Welsh Grey may be used. As regards peas, there is Uttle to 

 choose between the maple and dun varieties ; if anything, the 

 maple variety has the advantage. The effect of mixing is to 

 increase considerably the growth of the oats ; when oats are 

 mixed with peas they may grow from 6 in. to i ft. taller than 

 in the case of a pure oat crop. 



Effect on the Soil. — The mixture, under suitable conditions, 

 makes such a dense growth that practically no weeds can exist 

 underneath the crop. The pea roots act as pulverisers of the 

 soil, leaving it in particularly good condition to receive the 

 following crop. The mixture could quite safely be grown 

 several years in succession, as its character is such that the 

 effect on the soil is quite different from that which lesults from 

 growing of unmixed grain crop. 



Manuring:. — If the land is in poor condition a dressing of 

 farmyard manure should be given, if possible, but on land which 

 has recently been in giass no such application is necessary. 

 The yield will, however, be considerably increased if, at the time 

 of sowing, a dressing of from 3 to 5 cwt. of superphosphate per 

 acre is given. Top-dressing the crop with nitrate of soda is 

 effective in increasing the yield, but very little benefit is found 

 to result from applications of sulphate of ammonia. 



Harvestlnsr and Stacking. — Many farmers who have grown 

 this crop have cut it much too early, and in consequence have 

 lost a considerable percentage of the possible yield. The correct 

 time for cutting is when pods have formed on the peas but have 

 not become filled with seeds. The oats are at this time — when 

 Clemrotheray is grown — in the milk stage. Some difficulty in 

 cutting the crop may be experienced on account of its great 

 weight and length, and it will be necessary for a man to follow 

 the mowing machine with a fork in order to clear the path. 

 After the cutting operation the swaths should lie undisturbed 

 until the surface is well dried ; they should then be turned with 

 a hay turner and again be allowed to dry, and afterwards made 

 into large cocks. Some care is necessary in making the cocks, 

 as the straw is very long and difficult to handle. It is not easy 

 to form the heaps in a neat manner. Ordinary hay is most 

 effectively cocked with the hand rake, but the pea and oat 

 mixture can only be satisfactorily handled with a fork. Every 

 cock should consist of at least two forkfuls of hay, the size of 

 the heap depending on the dryness of the crop. Care must be 

 taken to see that the straw Hes in the cock as near as possible 



