Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1912-04-19
GROWING Of PEAS.
INFORMATION IN REGARD TO
SOIL AND PREPARATION
DO NOT PLANT ON LOW LAND
Thcrouqh Cultivation Brings Best
Returns.-Other Valuable
Pointers


AS many of the farmers in this To-
cality will be interested in the rals-
ing of peas for the new factory this
season. we copy the following from
a treatise on the practical culture of
garden peas for canning purposes, by
w. S. Siebert, Supt. Of the Agrlcul-
tural Dept. of the Waukesha Canning
Co:
Peas will not stand for wet feet;
so do not try to grow them on low
wet lands. Glover sod, hay or pas
ture sods (if not too old and new
lands are most suitable, but must be
plowed in the fall In selecting your
land for peas, take the best you have,
regardless of what it has grown, SOD
or stubble. See that each piece OF
seeding is of equal fertility and char
acter; that is, not part low and part
high land, or part fertile and part
grayelly knoll. AS there is quite
difference in time of maturity, con-
sequently there is loss in the crop.
If you harvest when the peas on the
lighter soil are in the canning stage,
Won lose the ones not so llatured. On
the other hand, if you wait for the
greener ones to reach the canning
stage. the others are too far gone to
can: so have your seeding plot of
equal character on either light or
heavy soil.
Soil Preparation
1t is absolutely necessary that the
land be ploWed to inches deep, the
latter preferred. Fall plowing is
much better than spring plowing, es-
pecially for sod land, owing to the
fact that fall ploWing retains the
moisture better than spring plowing.
If however. you are obliged to ploW
in the spring, see that it is rolled
and thoroughly packed. Spring ploW-
ing requires more work to prepare
and then is not as satisfactory as
fall blowing A deeper seed bed is
required for peas than for any other
crop. as they must be put in at
depth of four to six inches. so you
can readily see why deep cultivation
is necessary Experience has taught
me that shallow seeding means a
crop failure The roots branch out
almost wholly above the parent pea,
therefore, without proper covering
of soil, you have a poor and scanty
root system, which causes premature
maturity and will not stand hot, dry
weather.
Peas must not be classed with
grain crops as to preparation of soil
and method Of seeding, etc, as the
profits from peas properly handled
are so much greater than the grain
crops; in fact, there is no cOmpar-
ison. Peas class with sugar beets
and tobacco as to profits, without the
intense cultivation and soil deple
tion
The time of seeding has very little
effect as to production, but it is gen
orally conceded that late seeding
Yields heavier than the early. Blu
as this deals with varieties, will give
reasons later under this head.
In summing up soil preparations
bear in mind deep, thorough cultiva
ton. using implements suitable AM
capable of such The disc harrow
with sixteen or eighteen inch discs i
preferable for your deep work. The
use drag or any other pulverizing o
leveling tool. If obliged to plow i
the spring. remember to give
heavy and thorough rolling or pu
verizins. and if not sufficient
packed, after pulveriZing also; bu
not after the drag or leveler Be SUI
to have your land free from stone:
roots and snags, also have 1t smoot
and level, remembering that all o|
structions which will interfere wit
harvesting means loss 10 I'll
grower.
Seeding
After deep and thorough prepar
ton Of the seed bed, as given befor
we come to the most important pa
of the operation, the seeding. Wit
out the right man, and right impl
ment you have not yet Succeede
notwithstanding the fact that VI
have shaken your land up so the
oughly, for it is easier on man al
beast to put the seed in the groul
from two to three inches than fro
four to six inches, which is the pro