The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1911-09-27
ORCHARD
CULTURE OF FIELD PEAS
Method of Planting Rate and Time of of
Soil, Harvesting and Returns

are not stirred more than necessary
after being placed in the drill box
| incubation of the Soil
On the experiment station farm al
Pullman, where peas have been pre-
viously grown, the root of the plants
are abundantly provided with the
nodules that are produced by the
| bacteria which live on the roots.
A limited number of observations
of different fields in the state indi-
cate that when peas are grown on
land for the first time these mob
ules are not usually present on the
roots. If the nobules are not pres
ent, the field peas can add no nitro
gen of the soil in which they grow.
Experiments with other leguminous
crops, such as alfalfa and clover,
show that not only do such plants,
grown in inOculated soil, add nitro
gen to it, but also that these legum-
nous plans themselves m(lke larger
growth than if the proper bacteria
are not present to cause the nobules
on the roots.
After field peas have been grown
on the soil for two or three years, the
field will usually become inoculated
gradually, either by bacteria which
may have been introduced on the
seed or in some other way. The in
oculation of new field may be more
quickly secured by inoculating it
either by the soil transfer method or
by the use of pure cultures of the
proper bacteria.
The soil transfer method consists
in scattering over the new ground,
at the rate of 200 or 300 pounds to
the acre soil either from an old field
or from a new field of peas that
shows an abundance of nobules on
the roots To facilitate even distri-
button, the inoculated soil should be
thoroughly mixed with several times
it's weight of ordinary soil, and may
be either drilled or broadcasted. II
the soil is broadcasted, it should be
narrowed in Immediately, and If pos
sjble this should he done toward
evening or on a cloudy day, as bright
sunshine is very harmful to the bac-
terra. The field may also be inocu-
lated by placing a small quantity of
pulverized soil in the drill box with
the peas or by placing the pulVerized
soil on the fertilizer attachment to
the drill. where this attachment is
used This method, however, is not
likely to result in as uniform distri-
button of the bacteria as the first
method described.
The advantages of the artificial cul-
ia in
transportation and application as we'll
as in the absence of danger of intro
ducing harmful weeds although this
method of incubation is less certain
than the soil transfer method pre-
viously described The artificial, Gull
ture can be obtained from the United
States department of agriculture at
Washington. d. c.. by any farmer
who wishes to use this method.
Method of harvesting
When the field peas are grown in
mixture with grain and are harvested
for hay before the grain and peas
have matured the crop may be cut
with moving machine and ham
died in the same way as any ordi-
nary hay crop. Another way of cut
ting the field peas grown in mixture
with grain is to use a drop rake reap
er. which leaves the forage in loose
branches or gavels on the ground,
The forage may be left lying in these
gavels until dry enough to stack or
place in the barn.
If the field peas are grown alone
and are left until mature. there is
more difficulty in harvesting the crop.
When grown alone the vines fall
down quite badly as the crop is ma
turing. making it difficult 10 cut
with an ordinary moving machine.
Attachments for moving machines
are manufactured for use in harvest
ing this crop. The attachent con-
sists essentially of a few long iron
guards the points of which extend
forward from the sickle bar, pass
ing under the vines and lifting them
above the knives. The peas can be
successfully harvested when this at
tachment is used.
AS the pods are shattered quite
easily by the horses hoofs or by the
wheels OF the machine it is necessary
to have the vines moved to one side
where they will not be tramped upon
Some attachments to moving ma
chimes are provided with long iron
bars behind the sickle bars, which
are curved in such a way that the
vines are moved to one side out of
the way of the horses Where the
growth Of vines is very large, these
side delivery attachments do not al
ways do tho work well. A very good
method is for men to follow the ma
chino with pitchforks. and move the
vines out of the way, placing them in
small lunches where they may re-
main until dry enough to thresh
When peas and grain are grown il
mixtures for hay. the best time foi
harvesting them is after the vine,
have nearly completed their growth
and a large number of pods have
formed. but before many of this
pods or vines have matured.
When it is the crop of seed that IL
desired, the peas should not be har,
vested until nearly all of the pod,
have matured. If the vines are han.
died properly there will be but lit.
tie loss from SCATTERING of the pods
If the peas are harvested before they
have become entirely ripened the
pods do not thresh quite as easily as
| if left until entirely mature On the