NOVEMBER. 347 



appear, but expectant hope is doomed to disappointment ; still their 

 stems are cankered, the foliage becomes yellow, and a frosty morning 

 or two makes the lailure complete. Such is the history and my general 

 experience of a crop of Peas sown in November or December. 



To gatlier early Peas is as important to the gardener now as it was 

 40 years ago, but in that long period 1 have only three times pulled a 

 dish in IMay ; it is true, some of my brother gardeners who had to 

 cultivate a dryer soil in a warmer locality have succeeded once in five 

 or six years in obtaining the desired result, and now that we have 

 decidedly earlier varieties, the average will be less if the seasons are 

 favourable, for the frosts, as the crop is coming into bloom, will retard 

 the earlier Peas. The well-informed and reading portion of young 

 gardeners have every opportunity of becoming acquainted, at least the- 

 oretically, with the means adopted at the present time to have a dish 

 of eariy Peas, and wdio among the many aspirants to the highest rank 

 of gardeners will fail to read, as far as the time and means at his dis- 

 posal will permit, the principal periodicals on gardening of the present 

 day ? To neglect this will be to fall out of the rank and file of his 

 caUing to join the brigade of the " rule of thumb," the irregular and 

 awkward squad of gardeners. There is one advice, however, which 

 has frequently come under my notice, and which is so plausible that 

 I have no doubt it has been frequently followed by eager and inexpe- 

 rienced gardeners " Sow on strips of turf, forward them in a mild heat, 

 and afterwards harden them off;" or thus, " Sow thinly in a one-light 

 box, give a gentle heat, harden off, and transplant," &c. Now, I can- 

 not say that this is judicious advice, for to bring forward Peas in heat, 

 however mild, will stimulate their growth, so that their stems will 

 become attenuated, and how they are to be hardened off to withstand 

 the severity of the weather afterwards those who have tried the plan 

 will best know. It has, however, frequently been a source of regret to 

 me to have seen the unskilful attempt and its futile result. But I will 

 not comment further on the means adop ed by others, but give an 

 account of my own practice ; and here I would observe that I have 

 nothing new to offer, but will simply state those conditions frequently 

 gleaned from the experience of others, but wdiich have been introduced 

 into my own practice, as I have found them conducive to early and 

 profitable results. 



For many years I have discontinued sowing Peas in November or 

 December, being fully convinced from my ow^n experience, as well as 

 from a careful comparison w^ith the practice of other gardeners in the 

 same neighbourhood, that it was merely throwing away seed and time. 

 Another reason, which is frequently overlooked, is that the warmest and 

 best places are invariably appropriated to the early sown Peas ; thus 

 throwing the sowings which are most to be depended on to more ex- 

 posed situations, and if these sowings consist of what is iiow called 

 second earlies, the failure of the first crop necessarily makes the first 

 dish of Peas late indeed. 



In the first week in January, the first sowing of an early approved 

 sort is made in 10-incli pots, or boxes 3 feet long by 10 inches wide, 

 and 10 inches deep, but I [irefer pots ; have ready a sufficient quantity 



