Peas. 259 



about 9in. apart. After planting, put a few short feathery 

 sticks along each side of the row, and give them a mulch of 

 short old manure. 



Sowing in the Open-air. The first sowing in the open-air 

 may take place any time from the beginning of November 

 to the beginning of March, providing the soil is suitable 

 and in proper condition, but it is probable that if some of the 

 same kind of Pea was sown on both these dates there would 

 not be more than ten days' difference in the time of gathering 

 the first pods, and very little difference at all between those 

 sown in November and a similar lot sown in January or Feb- 

 ruary. Even sowings made on the latter dates cannot always 

 be relied upon unless both situation and weather are favour- 

 able, to say nothing of the chances of destruction by birds or 

 mice. Successful results from very early sowings in the open 

 may be looked for with some degree of confidence where there 

 is light soil in a warm sheltered position, but in other situations, 

 and particularly on stiff soil, it is best to defer the first sowing 

 until the latter part of February or the beginning of March. 

 In any case it is always unwise to sow when the soil is cold 

 and wet, as under such conditions there is the probability of a 

 weak plant if not a complete failure. To overcome this diffi- 

 culty it is the practice with many gardeners, when making the 

 earliest sowings, to draw out the drills in the forenoon and 

 leave them open until the afternoon, so that the soil in them 

 may become drier and warmer, the seed being sown and covered 

 up before work is finished for the day. Later in the season, 

 if the soil should be very dry, the drills should be well soaked 

 with water, as a soil which is too dry is as bad as one which is 

 too wet. The drills should in no case be less than 3m. deep. 

 When sowing is done in the autumn or very early spring 

 months plenty of seed should be used to provide against 

 the numerous losses which such early sowings are subject to, 

 but later in the season it is best to sow thinly, so as to allow 

 room for each plant to grow vigorously, which is impossible 

 when a mass of plants are growing thickly together, choking 

 and weakening each other in the struggle for existence. When 

 the plants come up too thickly they should be thinned so that 

 they stand from 2in. to Sin. apart. 



