THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



to keep all flowers picked clean, for if plants are allowed to produce seed 

 they will soon cease growing, and your flowering season will come to an 

 abrupt end. 



Feeding 



After the plants have been flowering for some time, the careful grower 

 may note that the flower stems are getting shorter and that there is a 

 general slackening of growth. Now is the time when some quick-acting 

 manure, well watered in, will give the required stimulation, and in a few 

 days normal growth will be established, which may be assured in future by 

 a repetition of some such method as has just been suggested. 



Fertilizers 



The question may well be asked here, what shall we use to feed and 

 stimulate our plants into more vigorous growth? I do not believe one 

 thing is much better than another, so long as good judgment is used in the 

 application. I would, however, especially urge beginners to err on the short 

 side, rather than to over-do it. I have found that after the plants have 

 been flowering for a week or two they will generally stand a light feeding 

 once a week. An application of two pounds of nitrate of potash, dissolved 

 in fifty gallons of water, to each fifty foot row every two weeks, alternat- 

 ing the week between with about five pounds of superphosphate, sprinkled 

 along the row, will keep the plants tuned up to their work at all times. 

 If weak liquid manure is available, an occasional dose will be beneficial. 

 A sprinkling of soot, well watered-in, will do good, not only as a food, 

 but as a tonic which seems to immensely brighten and intensify the colors. 



Mulching 



Mulching forms an important part in the treatment of the sweet pea 

 during our hot dry summers, but care must be exercised here as elsewhere. 

 The two danger points to avoid are, getting it on too early, and using too 

 close material. Wait until the ground has thoroughly warmed up, which 

 will not be till nearly the first of July, conserving the moisture, in the 

 meantime, by frequent hoeings. If a mulch is put on too early in the 

 season the ground is kept cold by the exclusion of the sun's rays, and the 

 bacteria which inhabit the soil (and upon which many plants depend in a 

 large measure for their sustenance) are retarded in their development; 

 and because bacteria must have a free supply of air, the mulch should be 

 of a loose nature, straw-litter or dried leaves. 



Shading 



Unfortunately some of the finest kinds of orange, salmon, scarlet and 

 crimson shades must be protected from the sun, if we would have them 

 at their best, and so, to facilitate the application of shade, these varieties 

 should be planted together. Light cheesecloth is sometimes used to stretch 

 over these, as it is quite inexpensive, but a more satisfactory shade is made 



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