ANNUAL VINES 69 
Level off in the usual way, and the trench is 
ready for the seed. If properly prepared, the 
trench should be about five inches lower than the 
surface of the ground. Sow the seed evenly in 
a thin row, and be sure that no manure comes in 
actual contact with it. Use from ten to twelve 
ounces of seed to one hundred feet of row, and 
always label the variety plainly. Cover the 
seed with about two inches of good soil. When 
the seeds germinate and the young seedlings are 
pushing through the soil, keep sifting good, fine, 
friable soil directly on them, so as to leave only 
the extreme tip of the growth above the ground. 
Keep doing this until the soil in the trench is 
level with the surface of the surrounding soil. 
The importance of this detail lies in the fact that 
the roots of the plants will be well down in the 
earth and will not feel every little surface drought; 
for, it must be remembered, it is the dry weather 
that is the ruination of sweet peas. In case of 
a late frost, protect the young plants with news- 
paper, loose stable litter, or something of that 
kind. Although the frost will not kill them, it 
will cause them to turn yellow, and a short crop 
will be the result. 
When the young plants are above the ground, 
they should be hilled up to give protection 
