the seed head causes a disease in cattle that feed upon it too freely, but this occurs only when the pastures are mainly of Dallis grass. Weight of seed of Dallis grass per bushel_--_---pounds__ 15 Number of seeds in 1 pound....... SUDAN GRASS --pounds 340, 000 Sudan grass (Sorghum sudanense (Piper) Stapf; fig. 26) is an annual belonging to the sorghum family. It was imported from Khartum, Sudan, in 1909. In leaf, stem, and seed characters Sudan grass resembles Johnson grass very closely, but it lacks the underground stems or rootstocks which make Johnson grass difficult to eradicate. When planted in rows and cultivated on fairly rich soil Sudan grass grows to a height of 7 to 9 feet, with stems one-fourth of an inch in diameter. Broadcast it rarely exceeds 3 to 5 feet in height, and the stems are much finer, one-eighth of an inch or less in diameter. The seed head is loose and open, like that of Johnson grass. The hulls, or glumes, are awned when in flower and often purplish in color, but the color usually fades to a pale yellow when ripe, and most of the awns are broken from the seed in threshing. Sudan grass is not particular about the soil, but it does best in a fairly rich clay loam. In sandy or poor soils the growth is rather weak and the yields low. It will stand slight frosts, but continued cool weather interferes with its normal development, and this fact prevents its success in high altitudes. It is fully as drought resistant as the ordinary cultivated sorghums, and when grown in rows and given similar cultivation it can be relied upon to produce a crop of hay with very little rainfall. It has a short growing season, maturing for hay in about 75 to 80 days and for seed in 100 to 106 days from seeding time if the weather is warm. This quality allows its use as a catch crop throughout the Corn Belt and extends its territorial limit north in the Great Plains region to the north line of South Dakota and a like distance in other regions characterized by hot summers. Excessive humidity, such as is found in the Gulf coast region, is injurious to Sudan grass, because it induces the red-spot. disease which makes its growth unprofitable. Sudan grass should not be planted until the soil has become warm in the spring. It can be sown as a catch crop at any time during the summer as much as 70 to 80 days before the date of the first expected frost. Sudan grass can be sown in rows 18 to 42 inches apart and cultivated like corn, or it can be drilled in with a grain drill or sown broadcast by hand. Sudan grass makes very nutritious and palatable hay, which is greatly relished by both cattle and horses and has no worse fault than its slight laxativeness. Yields of 2 to 4 tons per acre of cured hay are common, and under irrigation they run as high as 8 to 10 tons. Sudan grass has attained wide popularity as a summer pasture crop and has exceptional merit for supplemental pasture during the customary drought period of late July and August. It is relished by all classes of livestock and on average soils will carry two mature cows per acre for two to three months. A very limited number of cases of prussic-acid poisoning have been reported when grazing Sudan grass with cattle after it has been severely injured by drought or other unfavorable climatic factors, and the grass should be pastured with care under such conditions. Hogs can be pastured on the grass in safety, and horses and sheep are less susceptible to the poison than cattle. Weight of seed of Sudan grass per bushel.. Usual rate of seeding per acre: Broadcast or close drills.. -pounds__ 32 50,000 --pounds 12 to 25 U. S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 1931 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C. Price 10 cents PEAS EAS rank third in tonnage among the canned vegetables of this country. Their production is centralized for the most part in the region about the Great Lakes. Because of their leguminous nature, canning peas fit admirably into a general farm rotation and have a marked influence in increasing the yield of crops which follow them. They may be used as a nurse crop for alfalfa and other stock-feeding plants or they can be followed during the same year with another crop. The pea crop requires a mellow, fertile, welldrained soil. The seed bed should be deeply prepared and left with a smooth surface to facilitate harvesting with a mower. The crop, as usually grown in drills like wheat, requires no cultural attention after the seed is sown. Peas for canning pass their prime condition within a very few days. The crop must be handled promptly and the peas canned with dispatch to produce a product of high quality. The utilization of pea-vine refuse as feed is an important asset in dairy and stock-feeding regions. The growing of canning peas is a specialized industry and requires the closest cooperation between the grower and the canner. Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief Washington, D. C. Issued February, 1922 Show this bulletin to a neighbor. Additional copies may be obtained free from the Division of Publications, United States Department of Agriculture. THE PRODUCTION OF PEAS FOR CANNING. CHESTER J. HUNN, Assistant Horticulturist, Office of Horticultural and Pomological Investigations. PEAS occupy third place among the canned-vegetable commodities of this country, being exceeded in tonnage only by tomatoes and sweet corn. The industry began about the middle of the last century in the region around Baltimore, Md., and its growth has been gradual until now it is looked upon as an important enterprise in the States where peas are grown and canned. The canned product put up in a well-managed factory is sanitary and often comes to the table in better condition than many of the green peas displayed for sale in the markets. It is, moreover, compact and economical, as a single No. 2 can holds a sufficient quantity to provide liberal portions for a family of five. The canned-pea industry has grown from a pack of 3,577,602 cases (of No. 2 cans) in 1905 to 12,317,000 cases in 1920. The total acreage and yield for the United States during the 4-year period from 1917 to 1920, inclusive, were approximately as shown in Table I. TABLE 1.-Acreage and yield of peas for canning in the United States for the 4-year period from 1917 to 1920, inclusive.1 The canning trade. Almanac of the canning industry, fifth year, pp. 51, 71. 71. 1921. Baltimore. 1920. Sixth year, pp. 51, Each case holds 24 No. 2 cans, each of which contains 13.5 ounces of peas after draining the contents of the can for 2 minutes. |