492 



THE VEGETABLE GARDEN 



including an early kind, a mid-season 

 one, and a late variety. After April 

 comes in sow the succeeding crop as 

 the preceding one is just through 

 the ground. The following dates 

 may be taken as approximately cor- 

 rect. They are founded upon a 

 good deal of experience and careful 

 note-taking ; and, making due allow- 

 ance for the effect of latitude upon 

 climate, and the variations of soil 

 and seasons, may be safely acted 

 upon. Early white round Peas, 

 sown before Christmas, or not later 

 than the first week in January, should 

 be fit to gather the last week in 

 May. Those of a second-early type, 

 sown from the end of January 

 to the end of February, should 

 be fit to gather from June roth 

 to 2oth ; Huntingdonian and Tele- 

 phone, sown from February 2oth to 

 March loth, should be fit for use 

 from June 2oth to the middle of 

 July, or later. Marrow Peas, such 

 as Veitch's Perfection and Ne Plus 

 Ultra, sown from middle to end of 

 March, should be ready about the 

 middle of July and onwards. The 

 tall Marrows, sown first and third 

 week in April and first and third 

 week in May, should produce a 

 supply from the middle of July till 

 the close of the Pea season. But 

 most people sow second-earlies once 

 or twice in June, and I have had 

 the late Marrows do well sown as 

 late as the middle of June. As to 

 the manner of planting : 



THE LATE MARROW PEAS.* -The 

 crop is so important that every 

 expedient should be adopted which 

 can in any way enable it to pass 

 through its difficulties without much 

 suffering. Men may be seen labour- 

 ing heavily with watering-pots in a 

 dry, hot time, when less than half 

 the time and labour in preparatory 

 work at the right season would 

 have given more satisfactory results. 



* See also p. 766. 



Mark out the sites in January or 

 February, open a trench, and fill 

 in with a manurial compost Peas 

 dislike rank manure of the usual 

 decaying matters which accumulate 

 about a garden, mixed with a pro- 

 portion of manure from the stables 

 or pigsty, with a little soot, etc. ; 

 blend the whole together and work 

 into the trench, where the Peas will 

 by-and-by be planted. When this 

 is done early in the season, the 

 added compost has become mellow 

 and in a fit condition for the roots 

 of the plants to work among at once. 

 As much of the soil taken out of 

 the trench may be thrown back and 

 worked up with the compost as will 

 fill the trench to the original level. 

 The bottom of the trench will also 

 be stirred up and incorporated. All 

 the stations required for the late 

 Peas should be got ready at the 

 same time, and a stump driven 

 down at the end of each row, so 

 that when one wants to put in a 

 row of Peas all he has to do is to 

 place a line along the line of stumps, 

 draw a drill about 3 in. deep, and 

 plant the Peas. 



SOWING AND GATHERING.t-The 



large Marrow Peas should be allowed 

 room to branch out, not only below 

 the surface, as the preparation of 

 the site suggested above will pro- 

 vide for, but also above the ground, 

 as must be provided for by thin 

 planting. From 2 to 3 in. apart 

 all over the drill will not be too 

 much space to allow : and this will 

 necessitate the careful distribution 

 of the seeds individually by hand. 

 In dry weather the drills should be 

 soaked with water, and then covered 

 with dry soil drawn from the drills. 

 If mice are likely to be troublesome, 

 dress the seeds with red lead, or else 

 keep traps set in the neighbourhood 

 of the Pea row. To do the late Peas 

 justice the rows should be isolated, 

 + See also p. 767. 



