THE FARM GARDEN 191 



especially good for potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, 

 beans, or vine plants, though in a wet season straw 

 holds too much moisture. 



Peas. Peas are the first product of real food 

 value of the early garden. They are both delicious 

 in flavor and very nourishing. By sowing the seed 

 about a week apart, and using different varieties, 

 one may harvest peas all summer. But the late 

 varieties are in danger of mildew. Peas grow best 

 in a cool climate, in a light, moderately rich soil. 

 The first plantings should be in as soon as the 

 ground can be worked. The soil must be kept mel- 

 low and free from weeds to raise good peas. They 

 need not be staked with brush when the garden is 

 worked with a horse cultivator. Where the brush 

 is used they may be sowed in double rows. There 

 are a great variety of peas, and those that have 

 been tested in your region should be planted. Peas 

 are injured by mildew and the pea weevil. The 

 weevil may be killed in the seed by placing them, 

 before planting, in a closed vessel containing carbon- 

 bisulphide. 



Beans. String beans should be sown as soon as 

 the ground is free from frost, and every two weeks 

 afterward to keep a supply for the summer. A 

 sandy soil and a southern slope are best for beans, 

 because they are tender and easily frosted. They 

 should be planted less than two inches deep, for 

 the growing top of the little plant is liable to be 

 torn off as it comes through the ground. When 



