EXPERIMENT WITH A PLANT 143 



the seedlings have shown above ground, are mice ; 

 and these vermin must be destroyed once and for 

 all, with a stern hand. When the seedlings have 

 begun to unfold their leaves they are by no means 

 free from enemies, either above or below ground. 

 But the subterranean enemies are now no longer 

 mice, but wireworms. The signs of the attack of 

 one of these on a plant are unmistakable. The 

 leaves of a seedling which has been making vigorous 

 growth will one day be seen to flag and droop ; if 

 the soil round the underground part of the stem is 

 examined, a wireworm will in nine cases out of ten 

 be found there. The enemies above ground are 

 birds, and these are best guarded agai/ast by nets 

 hung loosely over the rows on low sticks. Having now 

 dealt with the enemies of the peas during their earlier 

 stages, we may revert to the actual sowing of the 

 seed. 



The seed should be sown in drills, which should be 

 drawn with an ordinary hoe. Adjacent drills in 

 the case of tall peas should never be closer than 

 six feet asunder. What may be gained in an increase 

 in the number of plants by planting the rows closer 

 will be lost in a decrease in the quality and quantity 

 of the seed produced by the plants, and in a lowering 

 of the health of the plants themselves. I can most 

 heartily endorse the opinions on this matter expressed 

 in that most excellent of all books on gardening, 

 William Cobbett's " English Gardener," published 

 in 1838. 



The seed should oe sown between two and three 



