Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1919-03-13
FIELD PEAS.

The few farmers in the Qzarks oi
South Missouri that have grown
Canadian Field peas have found
them to be "A very profitable crop,
In this section of Missouri they
should be sown during the latter
part Of February or very early part
of March, as soon AS the weather wfil
permit. The crop thriyes best dur
ing cool weather and in moist soil
and, therefore. should be planted
early enough in the spring to allow
ample time for ripening before the
dry hot days of midsummer arrive.
The crop will ordinarily mature in
from 30 to 100 days, For seed
production drill the peas in rows 30
to 81 inches apart. and cultivate two
or three times during the season.
Fifteen pounds of seed will plant an
acre when drilled in this manner
For forage or hay production 1t is u
common practice to SOW oats with
the Canadian Field Peas. The wheat
drill is ordinarily used. On the
average Ozark upland the seeding
should be at the rate of . to 3 pecks
of Canadian Field peas and 1 pecks
OF oats per acre. But If Sown broad
rnSt :. ..a.E mara mar Aar.A nf Alpl
kind Of seed should be added. Also
or more fertile soil the rate Of seed
for hay this mixture makes an eN-
ccllent feed for cattle. horses. and
sheep, and more especially for dry
cattle, The crop should be harvest
I'd while the oats are in the dough
stage and before the field peas be-
come too ripe. Canadian Field Peas
are Il very profitable crop for forage.
both for sheep and hogs. The crop
may be pastured early in the season.
but probably the best time for pas
turing is later, when the peas have
formed, the stock being allowed to
harvest the crop Hogs make a very
thOro harvesting. cleaning up the
peas and vines quite thoroughly.
what vines are left OF the ground
together with the manure enrich the
soil with the elements Of plant food
and humus. In addition to this the
labor of harvesting is saved. Ed c.
Volkert. near Mountain Grove, has
been successfully growing Canadian
Field Peas for several years, and he
recommends them highly as Il dairy
feed. He hes tried several varitiei
and has found the Golden Vine to be
the heaviest yielder and the best ad-
apted to this locality. Last year on
a plot of ground measuring a little
less than one-third of an acre., Mr.,
Volkert drilled five pounds of Canad-
ian Field Peas in rows three feet
apart c%ultivating the crop only twice
during the season. At the end of
the season he harvested seven bush
els of field peas and two wagon loads
of threshed hay. At the prevailing
price Of $3.50 per bushel the seven
bushels of peas We're valued at $3S.5O
and the two loads We're valued
at $500. making Il total of $42.5o
an acre. At this rate the gross re-
turns from an acre would have. been
$1,000. This crop was not grown
on a fertile bottom field but on up
land that would not produce more
than fifteen bushels of cOrn per acre.
Such returns as these made by MIR.
Volkert should induce more farmers
in the Ozarks to get into the profit
able habit Of growing a few Canad-
ian Field Peas. Several merchants
in Mountain Grove have a limited
supply of this seed on hand. which
they are selling at from So 90 to
$5.25 per bnshel.
L. f.. DEVINNA.
Agricultural Agent Mountain Grove.