80 SWEET PEAS 



within the next few weeks you should give the ground a dressing at 

 once. Do not dig it into the bottom soil, now or at any time, but 

 scatter it on the surface and scratch it in with a rake ; about 2 oz. 

 per square yard will be a good dressing. The manure is not suitable 

 for autumn or early winter application. 



Fixing a New Sweet Pea. When a new plant or variety is 

 properly fixed it will come true from seed year after year without 

 showing any great variation from the original stock. The present 

 system of fixing is to select and to re-select ; that is, to pick out the 

 true type and to discard the remainder. It is sometimes necessary to 

 do this for many seasons before a variety becomes properly fixed, and 

 Sweet Peas can never be called fixed until they have been proved so 

 for at least three seasons. Yes ; it is possible to take cuttings of 

 Sweet Peas, and it is always advisable first of all to propagate plants 

 in this way in the case of valuable sports occurring. You may 

 experience a little difficulty in procuring the old-fashioned bicolor 

 type of Sweet Pea, which as you say, is so sweet scented. 



Preparing Ground for Sweet Peas. As you speak of club 

 root being bad in cauliflowers, I infer that your land is on the light 

 side. This being so, you would find superphosphate of lime better 

 than bone-meal you do not want both. Soot is good on any land, 

 and would be especially useful on yours, as land taken in from grass 

 generally contains a lot of insect and animal life, to which soot is dis- 

 tasteful. You say nothing of the quantity of lime you have applied, 

 but as Sweet Peas like lime and insect pests dislike it you can do no 

 harm by giving -another light dressing. Next year, you should 

 trench the Sweet Pea plot, and mix the dung with the lower spits of 

 soil ; I would not advise you to interfere with it further in spring, 

 beyond giving the soot, superphosphate and lime. 



Sweet Peas on Bamboo Poles. The system of growing 

 Sweet Peas which you describe is such an unnatural one that I 

 should not care to guarantee its success ; in any case, it will give you 

 a good deal of trouble. Runner Beans are very often trained up 

 single poles in the way you suggest, but they climb naturally, and 

 without assistance, by twining themselves round the pole. The 

 Sweet Pea climbs and clings by means of tendrils, which are borne 

 on the ends of the leaves and some distance from the main stem or 

 central axis. A vigorous plant also throws out numerous side 

 branches, which again carry tendrils, but still farther away from the 

 main stem. Thus you will see that by fixing one central Bamboo 

 pole to each plant you will be depriving the Pea of any support from 



