Peas. 263 



row ; in this way the'flowers, by getting more light and air, set 

 hetter and so are more productive, and the pods can be more 

 easily gathered. 



General Culture. As soon as the rows of Peas can be seen, 

 the ground should be hoed, and afterwards kept well stirred 

 throughout the growing season. In field work a horse-hoe is 

 run between the rows, the work being finished by hand-hoeing 

 close to the base of the plants. This work must be persisted 

 in whilst the plants are young, as the time soon comes when 

 the close rows in the fields can no longer be hoed without 

 damaging them. It must not be forgotten that frequent 

 cultivation of the surface soil, especially in the early stages 

 of the plants' growth, has a very beneficial effect on the 

 ultimate crop, both by reason of aeration making the soil 

 warmer and so increasing the activity of the nitrogen-collecting 

 bacteria, and by the fact that a loose surface soil acts as a 

 mulch and checks the evaporation of soil moisture, thus being 

 a great help to the plants in a dry season. 



Watering and Mulching. Abundant moisture is absolutely 

 essential to the production of a satisfactory crop of Peas. This 

 is the reason why a well-worked retentive loam containing 

 plenty of humus is more suitable to their culture than is a lighter 

 staple. In a dry season Peas on soil that has been moved 

 deeply will continue to flourish, even if they receive no further 

 help beyond frequent surface stirrings, whereas under the same 

 conditions on poor shallow soil they would be a failure. But 

 even on the best soil, when a heavy crop is being formed, a 

 good soaking with water, followed by a mulch of manure on 

 each side of the row, is of the greatest possible benefit. 



Gathering. As the pods approach maturity they must be 

 carefully watched. They swell rapidly towards the end and 

 must be gathered as soon as large enough, whilst still young. 

 When once begun, the gatherings should be made every two 

 or three days, so that none of the pods become too old, and 

 this not only ensures more valuable produce which commands 

 better prices in the markets, but invariably results in a heavier 

 crop, because the period of production is then prolonged 

 beyond what it would be if the pods were allowed to ripen on 

 the plants. Different varieties should not be mixed together, 



