LEGUMINOUS VEGETABLES 47 



strong root action. It is an excellent plan to sow in pieces 

 of turves, obtainable from a good pasture, keeping a sharp look- 

 out that no wire- worm is present therein. Perhaps it is safer 

 to use turf that has been cut some little time and stacked. 

 Place the strips of turf close together in the frame or house, 

 grass side downward. Draw a light drill in the fibrous soil 

 down centre of each strip, and sow the seeds evenly, afterwards 

 covering with some good soil. The frame must then be kept 

 closed until the seedlings break through, when careful ventila- 

 tion will be required. At the time of planting out, the turves 

 can be lifted with the mass of roots, and placed in well-prepared 

 drills or shallow trenches. For smaller quantities, five-inch 

 pots are doubtless more useful, although the root-ball is often 

 broken, thus injuring the roots when planting. Eight or nine 

 seeds may be sown in each pot, thinning the resulting plants 

 to the six strongest and best-placed. Avoid forcing of any 

 kind. Another excellent way is to sow seeds in boxes. The 

 seedlings from this process lift well if the soil is made firm and 

 the boxes are not too deep. A little moisture will be necessary 

 till growth is active ; later on, ventilate freely in fine weather, 

 and plant firmly. 



GROWING PEAS FOR EXHIBITION is not an exacting operation 

 when suitable soil is provided. The main point is to secure 

 well-formed pods filled with a regular row of the largest Peas 

 that can be induced to form therein ; and this is a matter of 

 skill on the part of the grower. No amount of instructions 

 can ever replace individual, personal, skilful attention to details 

 and essentials. A deep, well- worked, richly-manured soil is 

 one of the latter, but it must be sweet and clean also, otherwise 

 disease and insects will certainly step in. Wide planting is 

 another ; whilst the provision of moisture and liquid manure 

 may be left to the intelligence of the would-be exhibitor. As 

 a large number of pods will not be required, the small space 

 devoted to the plants may well be given every attention to 

 ensure success, such as the entire removal of indifferent soil, 

 the careful mixture of well-rotted manure, soot, charred refuse, 

 wood-ashes, the selection of a site calculated to afford the greatest 

 amount of light and air, and yet allow of the retention of 

 sufficient ^moisture at the roots. All such essentials will, of 

 course, be carefully planned and provided. Then follows the 

 selection of the pods which show the most promise, and these 

 should be carefully marked, all others which might affect the 

 development of these precious specimens being removed, if 



