SWEET PEAS 235 



but even the former should deepen his soil by bastard trenching, 

 because it will give him stronger plants and more and finer 

 flowers. He should remove the top soil from the ground where 

 he is going to grow the Sweet Peas to the full depth of a spade, 

 and then dig over the under soil to another full spade depth, 

 completely turning it. Before he replaces the top spit he should 

 spread on a dressing of good yard manure at the rate of two to 

 three barrow-loads to the square rod. By adopting this plan 

 a depth of at least eighteen inches of pulverised soil will be 

 secured. 



It may be asked what should be done if the substratum is 

 not soil, but chalk or rock. In the former case the chalk may be 

 broken up with a pick, and garden refuse mixed with it before 

 putting on the manure and top soil. Further, the surface may be 

 heavily mulched with manure when the plants are growing. This 

 procedure gives a greater depth. In the case of rock the deepening 

 must be mainly through the medium of surface additions. 



Labour for this preliminary groundwork can generally be best 

 spared in autumn or winter ; but it should be done in spring 

 rather than not at all. However close to the time of sowing or 

 planting that it is practised, it must have an important effect on 

 the crop. If done early the surface should be left rough and 

 lumpy, because if it were broken up at once into a fine tilth the 

 winter rains might cause it to settle down into a close mass. 



The specialist will not content himself with bastard trenching, 

 but will shift at least three spades' depth of soil ; indeed, some of 

 the most successful men prepare a full yard in depth of thoroughly 

 pulverised, disintegrated, and manured soil. This means working 

 the plot in broad strips, and having two tiers about eighteen inches 

 wide each. The bottom soil is deeply dug and manured ; the lower 

 tier is turned on to it and manured in turn, and then the top tier 

 is thrown on to the second. The result of this is that the ground 

 is raised considerably above the surrounding level. 



