1869.] HINTS FOR AMATEURS. 501 



and a trench taken out 2 or 3 spades deep and about 3 feet wide 

 for the first (as more is required to fill in at the finishing than 2 J feet 

 of a trench would give, which is the usual width). If the bottom is 

 heavy clay, and the top part of a light nature, a little of the subsoil 

 brought up would improve the soil, or light brought up to heavy clay 

 land would improve it ; but this must be done with caution, as we 

 have seen crops ruined for a season by turning up much of a poor sub- 

 soil. The great object is to have deep soil which will hold its own 

 against a wet or dry season. Turning the bottom spade over roughly, 

 and placing a thick layer of half-decayed manure over it, is a good pre- 

 paration ; but thoroughly-decomposed manure may only be placed 

 under the top spade : a rough-ridged surface will break over freely in 

 February and March, which makes a fine preparation for seeds at that 

 time. Good healthy loam added to old garden ground is often much 

 better than the usual coatings of manure. 



Pease and Beans may be sown on a sheltered border about the middle 

 of the month. If sown on the surface in rows rather more thickly 

 than usual, and the earth drawn over them, there will be a good chance 

 of an early crop, if mice and rats can be kept at bay : chopped furze 

 placed over them often does well ; red-lead among the seed is not 

 relished by vermin. But those who have means to raise their early 

 Pease under glass in boxes, tiles, turfs, &c., and plant them out in 

 March, well hardened and sturdy, seldom sow in November. Sang- 

 ster's No. 1 and First Crop are still favourites for early work. Early 

 Longpod and Mazagan Beans may also be sown now in rows, if 

 wanted early, 2 to 3 feet apart, and an inch or two from seed to seed. 

 They can be thinned out if they require it when through the ground. 

 Allowance should always be made at this season for losses. Pease in 

 bearing should now be protected from frost. They are now valuable 

 and scarce ; Veitch's Perfection and M'Lean's Premier are yielding 

 fair with us at present. The latter were topped back with common 

 garden-shears, watered and mulched with short grass, but are now 

 loaded with flowers and green pods. It is becoming difficult to gather 

 one dish daily, as the exposure to wind and rain is of the worst descrip- 

 tion. These are two of the finest-flavoured Pease we ever tried. Many 

 new ones have been tried here this season ; some have supplied fine 

 crops of large well-filled pods of wretched quality. It appears from 

 what we have read in one or two contemporaries, that soil and 

 locality seem to entirely change the character of some kinds of Peas. 

 Celery should now be well earthed up. The soil placed round the 

 stems to keep them compact, and the earth out of the hearts, are the 

 principal parts of the operation ; dustings of lime will keep slugs in 

 check. A quantity of Horse-radish, Jerusalem Artichoke, and other 



