542 



Gardening for Amateurs 



this by no means represents the highest 

 development of the Sweet Pea. Provid- 

 ing that fertilisers are applied properly 

 it is possible to gather flowers in August 

 almost equal in quality to those obtained 

 from the same plant six weeks previously. 

 For this purpose both animal and artificial 

 manures should be employed ; the long 

 continued use of any one stimulant often 

 fails to promote the object in view. It is 

 wise to vary the diet, using animal manure 

 one week and artificial the next. Of the 

 latter Peruvian and Fish Guano are among- 

 the best as an aid to the production of high 



water early in the evening, and apply the 

 manure next morning. Artificial fertilisers 

 may be dissolved in water and applied in 

 solution or sprinkled on the moistened soil. 

 The substance should not come in contact 

 with the leaves or stems ; it should be hoed 

 or forked in the soil, not left on the surface. 

 Hoeing or Mulching. The necessity of 

 watering frequently may be lessened by 

 stirring the surface of the soil between the 

 plants, and for about a foot on the outside 

 of the row, with a small Dutch or push hoe ; 

 this kills weeds and keeps the soil moist by 

 checking evaporation. 



Paper 



Showing how a shade for Sweet Peas is made. 



class flowers. A handful of superphosphate 

 of lime added to three gallons of water also 

 makes a cheap and good stimulant, while 

 Clay's Fertilizer is convenient and reliable. 

 During recent years proprietary manures 

 compounded especially for Sweet Peas have 

 been introduced. 



To give backward or weakly plants a 

 fillip nothing is better than nitrate of soda, 

 half an ounce in a gallon of water, but the 

 continual use of this is not to be recommended, 

 or coarse flowers follow. Soot water is not 

 only a cheap but a useful and safe stimulant, 

 and helps to produce flowers of good colour. 

 Artificial manures should not be applied 

 when the soil is dry, or much harm may 

 follow. The usual plan is to give clear 



If frequent hoeing is out of the question, 

 the next best course for the busy man is to 

 mulch between the plants, using short half- 

 decayed horse or cow manure, leaf-soil, 

 spent hops, or even lawn mowings ; although 

 the latter possess no manurial value they 

 help to keep the ground cool and moist. 

 Even on a very sandy soil a covering of 

 manure or other substance 3 or 4 inches 

 deep is sufficient. Never use rank-smelling 

 manures or fresh lawn cuttings ; the latter 

 should be laid out thinly to dry. If used in 

 a green state and the mulch exceeds a couple 

 of inches in thickness, the heat this generates 

 is bound to have a detrimental effect upon 

 the plants. 



Shading Certain Sweet Peas. All 



