TRIALS AND TROUBLES 79 



appear to have suffered most where the soot is thickest." The 

 seedlings sent for examination are themselves by no means free 

 from soot. Now, in applying soot it should only be given as a 

 dressing to the soil around the plants, and if by any chance soot has 

 alighted on the foliage it should be washed off with a rosed water- 

 can. Generally speaking, soot is a perfectly safe thing to apply ; 

 however, it must not be given to the extent which you appear to 

 have done, and another thing to be sure about is that the soot 

 itself is pure. 



Sweet Peas, Yellow Disease, and Hard Water. I do not 

 think that hard water was responsible for the disease which you 

 describe ; neither do I think that you have cleared the ground by 

 allowing it to lie fallow. If Sweet Peas are planted on the same 

 site again this year there is every probability of their being again 

 attacked. If possible give them a complete change of position, and 

 watch closely for the appearance of the first yellow spots. As soon 

 as they show spray the plants with Bordeaux mixture or a solution 

 of sulphide of potassium, ^ oz. to 1 gallon of water. A dose of 

 nitrate of soda, oz. in 1 gallon of water would also help the plants 

 to fight the disease. With regard to softening of water, a simple plan 

 is to drop in a lump of ordinary washing soda and stir till dissolved. 



Clumps of Sweet Peas for Exhibition. The system of 

 growing two varieties together in the same clump is not always suit- 

 able for exhibition purposes. For instance you would find Mrs. Walter 

 Wright a much stronger grower than Queen of Spain, and Helen 

 Lewis taller and more vigorous than Henry Eckford ; thus you will 

 see that the weaker variety in each pair hardly has a fair chance. 

 The same remark applies to several more of your clumps ; the 

 colours, again, of some would not harmonise or contrast at all well, 

 so that the clumps would lose points for garden decoration. One 

 instance of this will suffice : George Herbert is of such a strong and 

 vivid colour that it would make Primrose Waved look like a dirty 

 white. I would strongly advise you, at any rate for exhibition 

 purposes, to have only one variety in each clump. You will require 

 twenty sprays of any variety exhibited, and it will have to be a 

 good clump to yield twenty sprays on a given day in spite of weather 

 fluctuations. If you are entering strong competition, two clumps of 

 each variety, five or six plants in each, will not be too many. 



Pish Manure for Sweet Peas. Judging from the analysis 

 you have obtained a very good fertiliser, and one that should be very 

 suitable for Sweet Peas. As you] will probably be sowing seeds 



