Garden Pea 



only do the sticks give needful support, but they afford much 

 shelter, as is the case with the small brushwood supplied in the first 

 instance. 



Thus far as to growing early Peas on the flat. A variation of the 

 plan consists in laying the earth up in ridges, east and west, two feet 

 high at the top of each ridge, and sloping at an angle of 45, the seed 

 being sown "on the sides of the ridges midway up the slope. This 

 plan places the entire crop in the position of two plantations, one 

 facing due south, and the other due north. If all goes well the south 

 crop will be very early, and the north crop will immediately succeed 

 it. In the event of trying winter weather, one plantation may be 

 destroyed, and the other may survive ; and, as regards the survivor, 

 the chances are in favour of the north crop, because of the protection 

 that snow may afford it ; but on this point nothing definite can be 

 said. It is just a question when entering upon a precarious business 

 whether there shall be one or two strings to the bow. 



Another simple but effectual mode of growing early Peas is to 

 sow close under a warm wall. But in doing this care must be taken 

 that some other crop for which the wall is primarily provided is not 

 injured, for this would be * robbing Peter to pay Paul,' with a con- 

 siderable loss, perhaps, in the end to the luckless negotiator. But on 

 this recommendation we can establish a proposal of some practical 

 importance. A wall three or four feet high answers as well to protect 

 early Peas as one eight or ten feet high, and wood is almost as effectual 

 as brick or stone. Consequently a small plot could be provided with 

 dwarf walls for early Peas in many places where rough material and 

 cheap labour are available for the purpose, and a few other early 

 crops, such as Lettuce, and afterwards Kidney Beans, might share 

 the advantage and help to pay the cost. 



We now come to the modes of growing early Peas by the 

 aid of glass. The surest and simplest method is to provide a suf- 

 ficiency of grass turf cut from a short clean pasture or common. 

 There is in this case a risk of wireworm and black bot ; but if the 

 turf is provided in good time and is laid up in the yard ready for use, 

 it will be searched by the small birds and pretty well cleansed of the 

 insect larvae that may have lurked in it when first removed. Lay the 

 turves out in a frame, grass side downwards, and give them a soaking 

 with water in which a very small quantity of salt has been dissolved. 

 This will cause the remaining bots and slugs to wriggle out, and by 

 means of a little patient labour they can be gathered and destroyed. 

 Sow the seed rather thickly in lines along the centre of each strip of 



97 H 



