34 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING 



be again said that the final treading immediately in advance 

 of seeding must never be overlooked. 



Manuring*. Hand in hand with the mechanical cultiva- 

 tion of the ground must, of course, run the manuring, and 

 it is an aspect of culture that demands the most intelligent 

 consideration. Although concentrated fertilisers are often 

 extremely valuable, they will not do all that is necessary 

 to ensure success with Sweet Peas. These free and deep- 

 rooting plants must have a soil with body in it, and this 

 can only be provided when natural manures are employed ; 

 but with these, and fertilisers as supplements, one may con- 

 fidently anticipate satisfaction. 



Precisely as it is imperative with the mechanical work- 

 ing to consider the time of year, so it is with manuring. 

 The loams and clays, which possess the power of holding 

 plant food, should be manured in the autumn. The light 

 lands, which lack this retentiveness, must not be dealt with 

 until the spring, or the probabilities are that more than 

 three parts of the plant food will have been washed down 

 long before the roots are actively working in the late spring 

 and early summer months, while by the time they are 

 needing full supplies there will be practically no nutrient 

 matter left. 



Assuming that the natural manures most generally avail- 

 able are farm-yard or stable dung and cow excrement, the 

 former should be chosen for the strong soils, and the latter 



