The Pioche record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1908-1925, 1911-07-01
HAMUS ON DRY FARM
Native Of Syria, and Delights in
Hot, Dry Weather.
4 Is No, Affected by Hot Winds, as
Corn and Other Grains, and Ma
lures In Six to Eight Weeks
From Planting.

In the summer o; 1900 | fled on a |
claim on which l am living today, and
since then l have been studying the
climate and the soil of this country,
writes E. Rick of Stanley county,
South Dakota, In the Orange Judd
Farmer The more | studied the bet
Ter felt, because 1t put me in mind
Of the place where | was born and
raised. on the farm of Jim Janeen Ell
Bakka, about 35 miles from Damascus.
Syria. In that section many good
crops are raised without drop of
summer rain. So not long after set
ling here l sent to the old country
and got about three pounds of hamus.
This is pea that we always depend
ed upon for summer crops, and table
vegetable
BY the way, must tell what ha-
mus is like, and for what and how
Il is used This plant is a member Of
the pea family and used practically
he same way for cooking, and it may
also be roasted and sailed or sugared
as peanuts. In addition it is fine
Tor all kinds of live stock. Last spring
about planting time showed the
pea to my neighbor and gave him a
small package of the seed and asked
him to try 1t on his place. The bal
ance of the seed | planted myself.
The first lot l seeded May II, 1910.
[ planted two rows on well-worked
seed bed, placing the seed 18 inches
apart in row with the same distance
between. The other portion of the
seed planted on new breaking; how
ever, this was also well prepared. This
seed was planted the first week Of
June. Both seedlings came up about
he same time, as it was cold the lat
ter part Of May, and the seed did mo-
terminate until the weather became
warm. After spring really opened i
did not take long for the plants t
come up probably from five to eigh
lays.
After hamus was planted we had n,
rain worth mentioning; in fact, W,
had only light shower about Jun
90, which was not even enough to sci
tie the dust, and that was the first an
last l received after planting the GRO
until after harvest. The plants di
splendidly and grew as fast as Rul
sian thistles. The stalks grow niue
like the thistle. about IL to Is inche
high and about the same In diamete
It blossoms and produces pods whic
contain one of the peas, ordinari
only one. The seeds are trifle lar
er than the common garden pea, an
have a cream-colored hull.
1t seems strange that natural sa
accumulates on the plant while gree
and yet 1t is fact, and when this
washed out by rain 1t delays growt
The drier the season and the hot
the weather the better the plal
seems to thrive. 1t is not affected |
hot winds, as corn and other grain
and natures from six to eight weel
from planting, depending largely upt
the season. | harvested mine wifi
green last Summer for table use
July s. On August we had a go,
rain here, and after that the plan
came up and made more growth t
same as before. but produced lit
seed
Regarding the yield per acre of IL
crop, / might add that l found fre
SO to 160 pods on plant, and eve
pod contained one and sometimes t,
seeds. In my estimation hamus W
yield as much as 40 bushels per &C
My neighbor whom | supplied
small quantity of seed was W
pleased, and he intends to grow abe
40 acres this season. Many ott
farmers here after seeing the plf
determined to give it a trial, and
secured seed for them. In all | hs
made three importations, and sh
grow about 200 acres. belle
that at least 200 to 500 acres will
planted in our vicinity. Now as
the place that hamus will fill in t
country / believe 1t will be gt
thing for the arid and semi-arid We