THE SWEET PEA 



173 



* Indicates a grandiflora variety, all others are waved. 



In order to grow sweet peas to perfection a few essential rules 

 must be observed. They are : 



(1) Deep tilling of the soil. 



(2) Thin sowing. 



(3) Good feeding. 



(4) Efficient staking. 



Let me take these in the order in which I have set them out. 

 The aim of the successful raiser of sweet peas is to produce large 

 blooms on long, firm stalks. Deep cultivation alone can help 

 to achieve this result. 



The ground on which the flowers are to be produced ought to 

 be* N 3trg r ^cr"Sn4epth of at least two feet in the autumn, and some 

 rich farmyard manure incorporated with the soil. In no case 

 should. manure be mixed with the surface soil. If it be buried 

 deeply it will enrich the lower layers, and when the heat of summer 

 comes, and the long sweet-pea roots are thrusting themselves deep 

 down in the soil in search of nutriment, they will find it in the 

 manure applied in the previous autumn. The advantages of 



