538 



Gardening for Amateurs 



some being nearly 

 a foot high. The 

 snow soon thawed, 

 and although 

 several rather severe 

 frosts followed the 

 Sweet Peas took no 

 harm. 



Suitable Sticks 

 and Substitutes. 

 Before the Sweet 

 Pea reached its 

 present popularity 

 no one thought of 

 using any but good 

 hazel sticks to sup- 

 port the haulm, and 

 in most country 

 districts these were 

 easy to obtain at a 

 very moderate price, 

 but since the public 

 became fuUy alive 

 to the charms of 

 this flower the price 

 of sticks has in- 

 creased very con- 

 siderably. There is 

 now a big demand 

 for special kinds of 

 Sweet Pea supports. 

 Among the most 



popular are those made of galvanised wire 

 netting of a fairly large mesh. This has 

 the advantage of being easily erected, and 

 with care may be made to answer the 

 same purpose many seasons, but it cannot 

 be said that the growth upon these is 

 always satisfactory, particularly in a dry, 

 sunny season, when the wire gets un- 

 comfortably warm. Moreover, there is some 

 danger of the flowers being damaged in 

 windy weather owing to their being blown 

 against the wire. A better substitute for 

 sticks is found in Simplicitas netting. This 

 is also made in the form of circles, which are 

 supported and kept in shape by strong 

 wooden hoops. It is remarkably strong, and 

 may be used for several years. When 

 Sweet Peas are grown near the house, the 

 presence of bare sticks from 6 to 10 feet high 

 is not always welcome. In such cases, it 

 is advisable to leave the final staking until 



