212 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



Wonderful is decidedly the best, as it is a most excellent cropper, 

 and in quality it is quite unsurpassed. AVhat I do is to sow — say, 

 for example — four rows of Wonderfid the first week, and two rows 

 each of Kentish Invicta and Alpha in the last week, and those who 

 enter into the cultivation of early peas for late supply should sow in 

 the same proportions according to their requirements. 



The manner in which they are sown differs materially from the 

 sowing of the early crops. The matter of principal importance is to 

 maintain the soil about the roots in a cool and moist condition. To 

 be able to do this, the peas must be sown below the level. We open 

 out trenches twelve inches in width and eighteen inches in depth. 

 Nine inches of manure is then placed in the bottom of the trencb, 

 and covered with six inches of the soil taken out of the trench. The 

 surface of the soil in the trench is thus three inches below the 

 general level, and this depth is increased by packing the soil in a 

 ridge on each side. When the peas are watered, as they should be 

 once a week, the drills ought to be quite filled with water, so as to 

 thoroughly saturate the soil. The saving of labour in watering crops 

 sown in drills is immense, for a man can fill the trenches in one 

 quarter of the time that Avould be occupied in watering them 

 properly when sown on the level, as the water runs away on the dry 

 hard surface, and nearly double the quantity is required, besides the 

 additional time required to apply it. 



In the garden here we usually make the trenches early in the 

 season, and plant lettuce and sow radishes in them, and by this 

 means we secure two crops, with only one outlay of manure and 

 labour. The trenches are just the place for the lettuce, and we 

 obtain splendid examples with beautiful white hearts when our 

 neighbours have a difficulty in filling the salad-bowl with very in- 

 difi"erent samples. The radishes are also much more crisp and juicy 

 than those sown on the level. 



CHOICE DINNER-TABLE PLANTS. 



BY WILLIAM JOHNSON. 



[UITxlELE plants, when nicely grown, produce such a 

 pretty elfect upon the dinner table that it is satisfactory 

 to note the fact that several of the horticultural societies 

 offer prizes for plants adapted for the decoration of the 

 dinner-table. Taking, as I do, a considerable degree of 

 interest in the cultivation of plants for this purpose, I am exceed- 

 ingly glad that these prizes are offered; for, judging from many of 

 the plants submitted for competition, the proper characteristics of a 

 dinner-table plant are as yet not so well understood as they should be. 

 I have had an opportunity of seeing a very large number of collec- 

 tions which have been exhibited during the present and last year, 

 and I am bound to express my surprise at the utter unfitness of 

 many of the specimens staged. As these collections have been mostly 



