Tangier pea (Lathyrus Tingitanus). Leguminom.
Tangier Scarlet Pea. A vigorous annual plant, native of Barbary. Stems spreading, winged, gla brous, three feet long ; leaflets linear-lanceolate, obtuse, mucronulate ; stipules lanceolate ; peduncle two-flowered ; flowers dark red-purple ; pod four to five inches long. The seeds may be used for table use and the plant is liked by cattle. It is spring planted in close drills. It seems to be hardy, and as a native of the Mediterranean region it should be resistant to heat and drought. It was first tried in California in 1889. It is sometimes grown as a flower-garden plant. [See Fig. 1242, Cyclopedia of American Horticulture.] Teff (native name of Eragrostis Abyssinica). An annual grass of northeast Africa, grown for food ; its small grains are made into bread. Two varieties are cultivated, a white and a red variety, the first being much superior to the second. It produces seeds abundantly and may be of use for hay in the southern states. When grown from imported seed, it makes a heavy yield of fine hay, but seed grown in this country has thus far germinated poorly.
White mustard (Brassica alba). Cruciferce. An erect, much-branched annual, bearing stiff hairs on the stem. The leaves are deeply cut and rough hairy. The flowers are yellow. The pods are spread ing, hairy, the lower part thick and few-seeded ; the seeds are large, roundish, pale yellow, and sticky when wet. It is widely scattered, appearing as a weed, but is grown for its seed, as a catch crop, green-manure and forage. It is a short-season crop and a rank grower, exceedingly rich in nitro gen, which gives it its value for these purposes.
Many attempts have been made to show that it draws on the nitrogen supply of the air in the same way as legumes, but they have failed. As a catch-crop it is most useful, since it may be sown after many other crops are harvested, or in the last cultivation of tilled crops, as corn, when it will serve the purpose of pasture for sheep or young stock, as a cover to prevent soil-washing in winter, conserve soil nitrogen, and improve the soil as a green-manure when plowed under. There is little difficulty in ridding the land of mustard where it has been grown. It is not much used by cattle, and must be supplemented when used for sheep or young stock.
White mustard will thrive on a wide range of soils, but does best on a calcareous loam soil that is well supplied with moisture. It is sown any time after the danger of frost is past in the spring, as it is very susceptible to frost. It may be sown alone for pasture or green-manure, at the rate of six to fifteen pounds of seed per acre, broadcasted. If sown with rape or a like crop, as is recommended to lessen bloating of sheep pastured on the rape, the proportion of mustard to rape should be about one to three. It may be advisable to sow the mus tard after the rape is started, as it matures more quickly. The stalks quickly become woody, so it is best to pasture the mustard before it blooms ; and when it is to be used as a green-manure it should be plowed under before it gets woody. White mus tard, as also black mustard and charlock, are now common weeds.