110 



COOL SEASON CROPS 



wrinkled varieties (Fig. 61) are of much better quality than the 

 smooth (Fig. 62), being sweeter and more tender. They are 

 therefore preferred for the home garden and for the later plantings 

 in market gardens. 



Peas demand cool weather and must be planted sufficiently 

 early to perfect their crop before the hot weather of summer 

 arrives. In some localities the season of favorable weather is 

 not sufficiently long to make it feasible to grow the later varieties. 

 These succeed best in the North where even the summers are 

 cool. The early varieties, in both smooth and wrinkled types, 

 can be grown in almost any locality if planted at the proper time. 



Fig. 62. — A .-smoui 



dcJ pea of the hardy type. 



The smooth-seeded sorts should be included in the earliest planting 

 of spring, along with spinach and lettuce. Small plantings of 

 early wrinkled varieties may be made at the same time if desired, 

 but if the weather turns cold and wet the seed is likely to be lost, 

 and planting two weeks later is considered much safer. The 

 later wrinkled varieties also may be planted at this time. In 

 localities where outdoor gardening normally begins April 1, and 

 the summers are hot, it is usually unwise to plant garden peas 

 of any kind after about April 20, for later plantings are almost 

 certain to suffer from heat before perfecting their crop. If hot 

 weather occurs before the pods are formed they will be scarce, 

 short and poorly filled; if excessive heat occurs when the pods 

 are nearly grown, they are likely to dry up without finishing their 



