EXPERIMENT WITH A PLANT 155 



is not taken. It is not advisable to dig up the whole 

 root of the plant, partly because it is a superfluous 

 and inconvenient cumbrance in the subsequent deal- 

 ings with the plant, and partly because the roots do 

 good to the soil if left in it, by contributing to its 

 humus and to its supply of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. 



All the plants related to by one peg should be 

 pulled up at once and tied together near the roots 

 with a coarse open twine which will not cut or break 

 the stems. The piece of twine should first be tied 

 round the peg (notched on either side so that the 

 twine does not slip) relating to the plants tied up. 

 If these bundles consist of about ten plants, ten such 

 bundles should be tied together to form a " secondary 

 bundle." The terms " peg " to signify a bundle of 

 peas tied up with a single peg, and " bundle " to 

 signify a secondary bundle as just defined, have come 

 into everyday use between myself and the assistant 

 who helps me with harvesting. The bundles should 

 be hung up so that the tops of the plants hang down- 

 wards in any place where they are likely to dry, and 

 are secure from the depredations of birds, rats or 

 mice. The likelihood of their drying properly 

 depends partly on the dryness of the air of the shed 

 or room they are hung in, and partly on whether they 

 were harvested during a drought or at any rate in 

 sunshine ; or in rain or damp. It is hardly necessary 

 to say that, if it can possibly be avoided, plants should 

 not be harvested during wet or damp weather. I 

 did this one year, and the recollection of the 

 unpleasantness of handling mouldy pods, and of the 



