SWEET PEAS 233 



the sticks. The seeds can be gathered just before the pods split 

 open. 



The period and manner of sowing may differ considerably. It 

 is not an uncommon plan to sow the new 

 crop of seed soon after it is ripe in the open 

 ground, with a view to getting early flowers 

 the following year. As success is uncertain, 

 amateurs should abstain from sowing seed of 

 expensive sorts in this way ; but there is no 

 reason why cheap varieties, or mixed seed, 

 should not be sown in September or October. 

 Success is most likely to follow in light, 

 warm, well-drained soil. In stiff, cold soils 

 failure is common. In any case slugs are 

 apt to take a heavy toll of the young plants A - A> circles drawn * in - in 



diameter; B, circles 4 ft. 



in spring, and often ruin autumn-sown crops 



altogether, unless they are attacked resolutely 



in turn. (See later remarks on enemies of Sweet Peas.) The 



ground for autumn-sown seeds should 

 be well dug and manured, and they 

 may be covered with three inches of 

 soil. 



The time of sowing the main out- 

 door spring crop varies with the 

 weather and the state of the soil. Any 

 time from the middle of March to the 



SWEET PEAS-SOWING SEEDS IN DRILLS middle of April will do. More COtt- 



sideration should be devoted to the 

 state of the soil than to the progress of 

 the calendar. It is unwise to sow when the soil is very cold and 

 wet, as a result of snow or continuous rain. So long as the soil 

 is sodden and inclined to cling, the seed is best in the packets. 

 Directly the soil, while moist, gets into a freely crumbling state, 



(2,299) ] f> 



SWRET PEAS SOWING SEEDS 

 IN CLUMPS 



apart ; C, holes for seeds or 

 plants. 



A, A, drills 14 in. wide, 2 in. deep; B, space 

 between drills, 6 ft wide. 



