P I S 



OR, BOTANICAL DICTIONARY. 



PI S 



343 



the Peas out of the pots, and plant them in the borders in 

 rows at three feet distance, and ten inches asunder in the 

 rows, watering them gently. Give them air, and draw the 

 earth up to their roots. Let them have a good portion of 

 water while in bloom: and a crop of Peas will be thus 

 obtained as early as the beginning of March. The next sort 

 of Pea which is sown to succeed those on the hot-bed, is the 

 Hotspur, of which there are reckoned three or four sorts; 

 as the Golden Hotspur, the Charlton Hotspur, the Master's 

 Hotspur, the Reading Hotspur, and some others, which dif- 

 fer little from each other except in their early bearing, for 

 which the Golden and Charlton Hotspurs are chiefly pre- 

 ferred. If, however, any of these be cultivated in the same 

 place for three or four years, they are apt to degenerate, 

 and to be later in spring fruiting, for which reasons most 

 curious persons procure their seeds annually from some dis- 

 tant place; and in the choice of these seeds, if they could 

 be obtained, from a colder situation and a poorer soil than 

 that in which they are to be sown, it will be much better 

 than on the contrary, and they will come earlier in the spring. 

 These must also be sown on warm borders towards the latter 

 end of October. When the plants appear, draw the earth up 

 to their shanks in the manner before directed, which should 

 be continued as they advance in height, always observing to 

 do it when the ground is dry. This will greatly protect the 

 stems of the plants against frost; and if the winter should 

 prove very severe, it will be of great service to cover the 

 plants with peas-haulm or some other light covering, as before 

 directed. This covering should be taken off in mild weather, 

 and only suffered to remain on during the continuance of the 

 frost; for they are kept too close, they will be drawn very 

 weak and tender, and be liable to be destroyed with the least 

 inclemency of the season. In the spring you must carefully 

 clear them from weeds, and draw some fresh earth up to 

 their stems; but do not raise it too high to the plants, lest 

 by burying their leaves you should rot their stems, as is 

 sometimes the case, especially in wet seasons. Take care to 

 keep them clear from vermin, which, if permitted to remain 

 among the plants, will increase so plentifully as to devour 

 the greatest part of them. The principal vermin that infest 

 them are slugs, which lie all the day in the small hollows of 

 the earth, near the stems of the plants, and in the night- 

 time come out, and make great havoc. They chiefly abound 

 in wet soils, or where a garden is neglected, and over-run 

 with weeds. The best way is to make the ground clear all 

 round the Peas; this will destroy their harbours; and after- 

 wards in a fine mild morning very early, when these vermin 

 are got abroad from their holes, slack a quantity of lime, 

 which shquld be sown hot and thick upon the ground, and 

 it will destroy the slugs without doing any, or very little, 

 injury to the Peas, if it be not too thickly scattered. If this 

 crop of Peas succeed, it will immediately follow those on the 

 hot-bed; but for fear this should miscarry, it will be proper 

 to sow two more crops at about a fortnight's distance from 

 each other, so that there may be the more chances to suc- 

 ceed. This will be sufficient until the spring of the year, 

 when you may sow three or four more crops of these Peas: 

 one towards the beginning of January, the other in the mid- 

 dle, and the last at the end of the same month. These two 

 late sowings will be sufficient to continue the early sort of 

 Peas through the first season, and after this it will be proper 

 to have some of the large sort of Peas to succeed them for 

 the use of the family. On this account it will be well to sow 

 some of the Spanish Morotto, which is a great bearer, and 

 a hardy sort of Pea, about the middle of February, upon a 

 clear open spot of ground. These must be sown in rows about 

 VOL. ii. 94. 



three feet asunder, and the Peas should be dropped in the 

 drills about an inch distance, covering them about two 

 inches deep with earth ; and taking care that none of them 

 lie uncovered, as that would attract mice, rooks, and pigeons, 

 to plunder the whole spot; and through this neglect it often 

 happens, that a whole plantation is devoured by these marau- 

 ders, who could not find them out so easily when they are 

 not left in sight. About a fortnight afterwards, sow another 

 spot with any large sort of Pea, to succeed those, and then 

 continue to repeat sowing once a fortnight till the middle or 

 latter end of May, some of these kinds; only observing to 

 allow the Marrowfats, and other very large sorts of Peas, at 

 least three feet and a half, or four feet, between row and 

 row; and the Rose Pea should be allowed at least eight 'or 

 ten inches' distance from plant to plant in the rows, for they 

 grow very large; and if they have not room allowed them, 

 they will spoil each other by drawing up very tall, and will 

 produce ,no fruit. When these plants come up, the earth 

 should be drawn up to their shanks, as before directed,' and 

 the ground kept entirely clear from weeds; and when the 

 plants are grown eight or ten inches high, you should stick 

 some rough burrows of brush-wood into the ground, close 

 to the Peas, for them to ramp upon, which will support 

 them from trailing upon the ground, which is very apt to rot 

 the large-growing sorts of Peas, especially in wet seasons; 

 besides, by thus supporting them the air can freely pass 

 between them, which will preserve the blossoms from falling 

 off before their time, and occasion them to bear much better 

 than if permitted to lie upon the ground, and there will be 

 room to pass between the rows to gather the Peas when they 

 are ripe. The Dwarf sorts of Peas may be sown much closer 

 together than those before-mentioned, for these seldom rise 

 above a foot high, and rarely spread above half a foot in 

 width, so that these need not have more room than two feet 

 row from row, and not above an inch asunder in the rows. 

 These produce a good quantity of Peas, provided the season 

 be not over dry; but they seldom continue long in bearing, 

 so that they are not so proper to sow for the main crop, when 

 a quantity of Peas is expected for the table, their chief excel- 

 lency being for hot-beds, where they will produce a greater 

 quantity of Peas, provided they are well managed, than if 

 exposed to the open air, where the heat or the sun soon dries 

 them up. The Sickle Pea is much more common in Holland 

 than in England, it being the sort mostly cultivated in that 

 country ; but. in England they are only cultivated by curious 

 gentlemen for their own tables, and are rarely brought to 

 market. The birds are very fond of this sort, and, if not 

 prevented, would often destroy the whole crop. It should be 

 planted in rows about two feet and a half asunder, and 

 should be managed as has been directed for the other sorts. 

 Although it has been recommended to sow the large sorts of 

 Peas for the main crop, they certainly are not so sweet as 

 the early Hotspur Peas, a succession of which ought also 

 to be continued through the 'season, in small quantities, to 

 supply the best tables. This may be done by sowing some 

 every week or ten days; but all those which are sown late 

 in the season should have a strong moist soil, for in hot light 

 land they will run up, and come to nothing. The large- 

 growing sorts may be cultivated for the common use of the 

 family, because they will produce in greater quantities than 

 the other, and will also endure the drought better, but the 

 early kinds are by far the cweetest-tasted Peas. The best of 

 all the large kinds is the Marrowfat, which, if gathered 

 young, is a well-tasted Pea; and this will continue good 

 through the month of August, if planted on a strong soil. 

 In the open ground, it- is better to sow two rows of Peas close 

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