PKAS 245 



PEAS. 



. Judging from the quality of the Peas one finds on the tables 

 of our hotels, particularly in rural towns and' villages, hut few of 

 our people know what Green Peas reaUy are. It would seem as 

 though, as a people, we are content to supply our tables with the 

 field Peas which we grow for our swine, and put up with these 

 dry, flavorless things, when we might just as weU have those 

 that are sweet, rich, and delicious. We hope that our readers, 

 who so far honor us as to look into these pages, will give some 

 of the varieties of table Peas which we shall mention a trial, and 

 if they have never used any other than the field Peas for their 

 table, we feel assured they will thank us foi calling their atten- 

 tion to these far preferable varieties. 



The best soU for Peas is one that is light and rich, partaking 

 more of the sandy character than of the clayey. Yet they may be 

 grown on any soil that is weU worked to a good depth, and well 

 drained below. It is not desirable to manure ground for Peas the 

 same season they are planted ; the fresh manure causes the Pea 

 to produce vine more abundantly than Peas. For this reason it is 

 better to select a piece of ground that was weU manured the pre- 

 vious year, and sow the Peas as soon as possible after the frost is 

 out of the ground. They may be sovpn in rows, the space 

 between the rows varying according to the growth of vine of the 

 variety sown, leaving nearly as many feet between the rows as is the 

 ordinary height of the vine. This is necessary, to give room for the 

 vines where they are not supported by brush or stakes, and that 

 is now quite an unnecessary labor, since the introduction of short- 

 growing sorts of the flavor and sweetness of the best Marrowfats. 

 It is weU to sow them in drills about four inches deep ; sown at 

 this depth they suffer less from dry weather, to which we are 

 ficeqnently subject. The shorter growing sorts will be sown 

 thickly, the taller should be sown thinner, decreasing the quantity 

 of seed as the height to wMch the vine grows increases. As soon 



