io6 Commercial Gardening 



texture, and a site sheltered from the north and east, but open to air and 

 sunshine. 



A firm root run is not merely desirable for Sweet Peas, it is a necessity; 

 therefore the site must be rolled or trodden over if it is ploughed or dug 

 just previous to sowing. A good dressing of lime worked into the surface 

 soil usually proves useful, but the need for it must be determined by the 

 condition of the soil. Soot is also an excellent fertilizer, and its use 

 serves to keep slugs and other ground pests in check. Lime and soot 

 should not, however, be used together, i.e. at the same time, because if 

 this is done the nitrogen in the soot is set free by the lime, in the form 

 of ammonia, and thus the manurial value of the soot is largely lost. 

 Superphosphate of lime and bone meal are excellent fertilizers for Sweet 

 Peas, and in dry weather a little nitrate of soda (1 oz. to 3 yd. run) well 

 watered in gives a wonderful fillip to growth. 



Some Sweet Peas have smaller and lighter seeds than others, but as 

 a general rule 1 Ib. of seeds will be necessary to sow about 150 yd. 

 run. On specially good soil the strongest growing varieties may be sown 

 at the rate of 1 Ib. to 200 yd. On an acre of land it is possible to 

 have ten rows, 220 yd. long and 6 ft. apart. For supports, this amount 

 would need from 330 to 400 bundles of sticks. Just as the price of land 

 varies, so the price of seeds varies with the season and the variety, while 

 in some districts the sticks required for supports are quite cheap and good, 

 and in others more costly and often less useful even at the enhanced price. 

 Growers must take all these points into consideration in their estimate 

 when considering the advisability of growing Sweet Peas for market. 



Besides the methods of spring or autumn sowing out-of-doors, there are 

 also those of sowing under glass either in autumn or spring. Many growers 

 sow hundreds of pots of Sweet Peas in October or early November in 

 frames, and keep them just free from frost during the winter; four seeds 

 in a 60-sized pot are sufficient. With reasonable care the plants so raised 

 will be very sturdy by the end of March or early April, and if planted 

 without root disturbance they speedily grow away and come into flower 

 in June. A frame with several lights will hold a very large number of 

 such pots, and if the pots are plunged to the rim in fine ashes there is little 

 risk of danger from frost or from drought at the roots. In connection with 

 this method the grower must always remember that Sweet Peas are hardy 

 annuals, and therefore any coddling process will defeat the end in view. 

 The other method is that of sowing in similar fashion, but in gentle heat, 

 early in February, the seedlings to receive cooler conditions directly they 

 are well through the soil, and be gradually hardened off as the season pro- 

 gresses. Whichever method is followed, and we consider autumn sowing 

 in pots is the best, a few short twigs must be provided for each pot of 

 seedlings to prevent the plants from falling over and clinging to those in 

 a neighbouring pot. 



Quite apart from the cultivation of Sweet Peas for outdoor flowering, 

 is their culture for the production of early blooms under glass, and in some 



