VEGETABLES DESCRIPTION AND CULTURE. 391 



varieties: Alaska, Alpha, American Wonder, Daniel 

 O'Rourke, Premium Gem, and Tom Thumb. 



The Sugar Peas are without the tough interior lining 

 to the pod when young, and they will snap in two as 

 readily as the pod of the kidney bean. There are two 

 sorts — the Dwarf Sugar, about three feet high, with 

 small crooked pods; and the Large Crooked Sugar, with 

 large, broad, flat, crooked pods. The stems grow about 

 six feet high. 



As some families prefer white, others blue, some dwarf, 

 and others tall sorts, it will not be difficult to make a 

 selection from the foregoing list. There are some fifty 

 sorts in the catalogues, but many of them are synonyms. 



Potash and phosphoric acid are large constituents of 

 the ash of the pea. Ashes aud bone-dust, or super-phos- 

 phate of lime, especially the former, are likely to be the 

 special manures most needed. 



Cull urc. — A moderately rich and dry calcareous loam 

 is best suited for the early pea ami the dwarf varieties. 

 The late peas and the lofty growers do better in heavier 

 soil, and a cool moist situation. The manure should be 

 applied early the preceding autumn, to be well reduced 

 by the time the crop of peas is ready to feed upon it. In 

 poor ground, fresh stable manure is better than none. 

 If the ground, however, be extremely rich, there will be 

 more vines than fruit. The soil must be deep, so that the 

 roots may penetrate deeply to obtain moisture in time of 

 drought, that the vines may not mildew. If the vines 

 mildew or get too dry after they begin to blossom, the 

 pods will not fill well. On this account it is found to be 

 of advantage to plant in a furrow some six inches deep, 

 as they continue much longer in bearing than when 

 planted shallow. 



The early crop may be planted as soon as the ground 

 will do to work in the spring. And in the Cotton States, 



