154 



THE FLORAL WOELD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



For tlie main crop of peas, say the 

 early and second early sorts, about 

 which there is least risk, the culture 

 ought to be somewhat different. If 

 you peep into a cottage-garden some 

 time between the middle of February 

 and the middle of March, you will see 

 that peas are not generally planted on 

 philosophical principles. It is a plant 

 that makes but a moderate amount of 

 root, and it suffers very much from 

 drought, so much so, that if fine dry 

 weather sets in about the time when 

 the Sangsters and Emperors are being 

 first gathered, many rows will turn 

 yellow, and go ofi" in a week, though 

 if they bad had rain they would bear 

 abundantly for at least three weeks 

 longer. Now this arises from the un- 

 philosophical mode of growing them, 

 they are sown in drills scratched on 

 the level surface of the ground, they 

 are earthed up as they rise, and sticks 

 are put to support them. Wow when 

 the hot sun beats down on the hard 

 bank which the earthing up has formed, 

 the bank gets hot, burns the roots, 

 and away they go ; for by this plan, 

 plants that rejoice in moisture and 

 coolness at the root, are exposed to 

 the very influences that ruin them. 

 Now let me advise you to plant all 

 your early and second early sorts as I 

 do, and I have my rows in bearing as 

 soon as my neighbours, and they last 

 three or four weeks later than theirs, 

 and all the while bear much more 

 abundantly, and finer pods. In the 

 first place, don't grow them in a patch, 

 but arrange your ground so that you 

 can have the rows six feet apart for 

 the sorts that rise three feet high, and 

 twelve feet apart for the tall ones. 

 This gives you a four-foot bed, and 

 alleys between every two rows, and 

 here you can put lettuce, spinach, or 

 anything else you like, but till the 

 whole breadth with a view to plant 

 cabbage, broccoli, or cauliflower, or 

 some other winter crop on it when 

 the peas come off. The whole of the 

 ground ought to be trenched two spits 

 deep by January at the latest, if in 

 November all the better. At sowing 

 time mark where the rows are to be 

 sown. For the early crops they had 

 better be north and "south, and there 

 take out the earth and form trenches 



two feet deep and two feet wide. Into 

 the bottom of each trench lay six or 

 eight inches of good manure ; it should 

 be only half rotten, and if a little 

 warm from the heap, all the better, 

 lieturn the earth, and chop it fine. 

 Then spread along where the drills are 

 to be, a lot of fine coal-ashes, or, better 

 stni, wood-ashes, or charred rubbisli, 

 small and powdery, and dig the sur- 

 face over one spit deep, only so as not 

 to disturb the dung. Then draw deep 

 drills with a four-inch hoe, let the 

 drills be four inches deep at least, and 

 six inches wide, and for the earliest 

 crops it would be best to have them 

 north and south, because the seed is 

 to be sown below the general level, 

 and if they run east and west, the 

 south side of the drill will cast a 

 shadow, and somewhat retard the seed 

 at first, but if north and south, the 

 sun will shine full along the trench, 

 and bring them up as quick as if 

 they were on the level, When the 

 drill has been well trodden, it will pro- 

 bably be six inches deep ; stretch the 

 line, and sow regularly, not thickly, 

 for, like most others, peas require a 

 little more room than they generally 

 get. When the seeds are scattered 

 along the trodden drill, cover them 

 with a couple of inches of fine mould, 

 or if you have plenty of fine ashes, 

 fill it up with that, so as to leave the 

 surface of the drill three or four inches 

 below the general level of the ground. 

 The peas will soon come up, and for a 

 time grow like any other peas that 

 have not had so much care ; but as 

 soon as they get their tendrils out, you 

 will see them push along at express 

 speed. Earth them up as they rise in 

 the usual w^ay, and stick them care- 

 fully before they begin to fall about 

 the ground ; indeed, it is best to place 

 the sticks to them just before they 

 put out their tendrils, then the rows 

 can be kept very neat, for if any have 

 to be twisted about through having 

 toppled over a little for want of sticks, 

 it distresses them much. Drive the 

 sticks in firm, and allow them six 

 inches more than their average height, 

 for with this mode of culture they rise 

 higher than in the usual way. They 

 will bloom early and strong, and in 

 their ample fresh foliage show how 



