202 



GARDEyERS- CHROMCLE 



the moisture access. I have had men tell me that life is 

 too short in which to do such things, but I am willing: to 

 demonstrate to anyone that these seeds can be chipped at 

 the rate of more than 500 an hour, and I could recite 

 many instances in which it has paid well to take the 

 trouble. 



Fall sowing is done around October 15. and when the 

 seedlings are well up the Bats are transferred to a cold 

 frame. Spring sowing is done from January 15 to Feb- 

 ruary 15 and the grower must be guided regarding the 

 time, in accordance to the accommodation he has to take 

 care of the ])lants. It is poor policy to sow early and to 

 have to keep the plants for weeks in a high temperature. 

 but if a cool house is available for the plants, an early 

 sowing gives the best results. The plants are jiotted on 

 into pots or transplanted into deep flats of good soil, kept 

 near the glass, and given such treatment as will produce 

 sturdy stock. 



I want to especially recommend the Fall sowing, and 

 especially to those who have no glass at their disposal. 

 Anyone with a few old sashes, or new ones for that mat- 

 ter, can have as good, and in some cases better, flowers 

 than his neighbor with glass. 



Seeds are" sown after the middle of October as before 

 described and the plants are given as much air as possible 

 in the Fall months in order to make them strong and 

 sturdv. and when Winter approaches they are placed in 

 a good pit 12 inches below the glass and boards. Straw 

 or" leaves should be handy for their protection. They 

 should not be left to become badly frozen, but should be 

 afforded ventilation on all possible occasions, taking care 

 that ihev are not exposed to a cold wind or to bright sun- 

 shine if they have been frozen. Some time during Febru- 

 ary the plants are transplanted into fresh soil, either in 

 pots or deep flats. I mention the flats because as good 

 or better plants can be raised in flats. The sweet pea is 

 much more adaptable to difl:"erent methods than many ex- 

 perts would have us believe, and the finest plants and 

 flowers I ever had were raised just as I have described, 

 and anyone possessing the "go ahead" enough to use this 

 method will be well repaid. 



If pots are used, the plants usually need a four-inch 

 pot toward Spring, as they grow like weeds when the 

 weather becomes warm, and consequently they must be 

 given all the air and light possible in mild weather. The 

 sash should be removed when the weather ])ermits in 

 order to keep the [)lants sturdy. 



Spring-sown plants must also be hardened olT in the 

 same manner before being planted out. 



Some kind of support is usually needed for the plants 

 while in pots or flats, and for large plants in pots and 

 flats twigs are the best to use, but for small pots we use a 

 wire coil. 



Planting out takes place the middle ()f April or as early 

 afterwards as weather and soil conditions permit. We 

 always have a double row, or, in other words, two rows 

 fifteen to eighteen inches apart, with an intervening space 

 of not less than six feet from the next double row. We 

 try to have the trellis in place before j)lanting if possible. 

 We also trv to have on hand some dry material from the 

 comf)Ost i)iie or old hotbed in order to get the surface of 

 the ground in condition to plant. 



The plants are i)Iante(l six. nine, twelve or eighteen 

 inches a])art in the row. according to the vigor of the 

 variety or the strength of the plants. The plants from 

 pots should have the roots loosened around the ball, and 

 a hole large enough to have the roots spread out nnist 

 be made. In planting from flats we first loosen the whole 

 mass by jarring the end of the flat on the ground, then 

 pry off one side and slide the whole out on the ground. 

 The plants are then separated, an effort l)eing made to 



preserve the long roots rather than to try to retain the 

 soil on them. A very good plan is to open a small trench, 

 in the manner that some gardeners plant potatoes, ar- 

 ranging the plants along this trench, spreading out the 

 roots, about half filling the trench with soil, trampling 

 firm, giving a little water, and then raking the trench full. 



It is a good plan to provide a wide board to walk on 

 during the planting operation, and to stand the board on 

 edge along the side of the row for a few days to break the 

 wind. At this time the plants must have some support, 

 otherwise the wind will twirl them around on the ground 

 and they will suflfer considerably. 



The finest exhibition flowers are grown on what is 

 called the cordon system, and the best supports to use in 

 this instance are cane stakes six to eight feet long. I will 

 now try to explain the way we arrange these stakes to 

 the best advantage. A long stout post is placed at each 

 end of the row, securely braced, and two No. 9 wires are 

 run, five feet above the ground, from post to post and 

 drawn tight and held 10 or 12 inches apart by means of 

 short pieces of 1x2; the stakes are then inserted in the 

 soil a few inches deep, and six inches apart, along each 

 side of the double row. They are then tied to the over- 

 head wire six inches apart. At the bottom of the stakes 

 the rows are 18 inches apart, but the overhead wires, 

 being only 10 or 12 inches, cause the stakes when tied to 

 it to lean in at the top from either side. The advantages 

 of this arrangement I will enumerate to you. 



From the beginning a single stem is taken up each stake 

 and, because each stake leans inwardly, the growths natur- 

 ally come to the outside of the trellis, and thus it is easier 

 to tie the growths to the stakes, and they present a nnich 

 better appearance as the outside of the stakes are covered. 

 But what is still more advantageous is the fact that the 

 flower stems when they appear, instead of following the 

 course of the vine, stand directly up and out away from 

 the vines, thus having a better chance to develop, and there 

 is less chance for the stems to become damaged through 

 whipping against the trellis. Another thing, it is a very 

 easy matter to gather the flower stems. You all remem- 

 ber how the best flowers always get entangled in the vines 

 when they are grown on any other trellis. Some growers 

 use two by four posts and nail 1x2 overhead to which 

 the stakes are tied, but I think the wires look better, and 

 it is also more safe with the cordon system. The advan- 

 tage of having the stakes so wide apart at the base is that 

 a man can take a hoe or hand cultivator and. by walking 

 backwards, cultivate the space between the stakes with 

 ease. 



Some gardeners grow tluir ])lants on single stems, oth- 

 ers allow two stems to each plant. The vigor of each 

 particular variety is the best guide. The strongest leaders 

 are selected and the remainder cut away, and, as the 

 growth proceeds, all the laterals, and for that matter, all 

 the tendrils are pinched off. Tendrils are not needed with 

 the cordon system : they have a bad habit of reaching over 

 and taking a strangle hold on the head of a near shoot or 

 flower stem. Some gardeners complain that it is not 

 natural to grow sweet peas in this way ; quite so, neither 

 is it natural to grow mums on one stem and on crown 

 buds, or to trellis tomatoes, or to thin a bunch of grapes, 

 but all are better for not being grown quite natur.illy, .So 

 it is with sweet jieas. .\part from thinning ami txing, all 

 that is left lip be ilciuc during the early stages is regular 

 cultivation. I f the plants make a good start, nothing else 

 is rer|uired. If, for some unexplained reason, the plants 

 do not make good headway, a light dose of nitrate of soda 

 may be .given, but keep off the stinnflants unless it is 

 necessary. 



One thing 1 slmiiM mcntinn rci;;irding the rcmo\';d of 

 laterals, and that is. dd nut cli--liu(l loo dosclv. .Some va- 



