CHAP. XIII VILLA GAKDENING 449 



but it cannot be too light. In either case it should be wired, the 

 wires being about as close to each other as would be necessary for 

 vines, and about 9 inches from the glass. The provision for the 

 roots may consist of narrow brick pits, boxes, or large pots. Where 

 convenient, I think the narrow pits are best, but they need not be 

 more than 18 inches wide and 2 feet in depth. Place 6 inches of 

 drainage in bottom, fill it with turfy loam, inclined to be rather 

 sandy than heavy, and top-dress when necessary, giving manure- 

 water if it should be needful, to swell off a crop rapidly. 



The Best Way to Tkain is to pinch out the leader when the 

 stems are 6 inches high, and from the shoots which break away 

 train up two. These will form the main fruiting - stems, and 

 should be trained up the roof 15 inches apart. All side shoots 

 should be rubbed off, and when the first cluster of flowers show 

 pinch out the leader. Select the next leader which breaks away, 

 and nip out the point of that also when a truss of blossoms has 

 been evolved, and so on till the shoot reaches the top of the house. 

 The close pinching must be persisted in to throw the strength into 

 the plant ; and a few of the main leaves may be removed when 

 the fruit begins to ripen, to let in the sun to colour them. As the 

 bottom fruit begins to ripen and is taken off for use, a shoot here 

 and there may be permitted to grow, and these in turn will develop 

 blossoms, when, if the same pinching process be adopted, a succes- 

 sional crop can be started which will prolong the season. 



Varieties. — For open-air culture — Keye's Early Prolific, 

 Orangefield Prolific, Criterion, Greengage. For culture under 

 glass — Dedham Favourite, Stamfordian, Carter's Perfection, Hath- 

 way's Excelsior, Criterion, Large Yellow. 



Saving Seeds. — This is a very easy matter. Select the hand- 

 somest fruit of its kind, and when perfectly ripe break up, and 

 separate the seeds from it by washing. Dry them, and place them 

 in packets for use. 



CHAPTER XIII 



The Pea. — With every suitable appliance the Pea season may 

 extend from the beginning of I\Iay till the end of October, and I 

 have, in exceptional seasons, gathered a disli of Peas as late as the 

 10th of November. Those Peas gathered early in May are grown 

 under glass, and the very late Peas are, of course, mainly dependent 

 upon the season. The best months for Peas are June and July. 

 In warm situations the produce of the early s6uth border begins to 

 turn in about the end of ]\Iay, and green Peas are common enough 



2a 



