THE KITCHEN GARDEN. 



377 



etantly ; if the root lacks this during the mouths of 

 August and September, finely-developed produce, 

 containing a minimum quantity of heart or centre, is 

 •not to be expected. Being a native plant it is hardy, 

 and the fact that it is invariably found in its wHd 

 state upon calcareous soil affirms what is said above. 



The ground should be trenched, if possible, to a 

 depth of at least sixteen inches, a liberal layer of 

 manure placed at the bottom and midway therein ; 

 but it is not advisable to enrich the soil unduly near 

 to the surface, as this incites root-division, which 

 causes individual plants to become forked, to the 

 great demerit of the crop. The ground should be 

 prepared as early in the month of February as is 

 convenient. 



Sow the seeds during the jBrst week in the month 

 of March, or as near thereto as weather permits. It 

 is always desirable to sow such, seeds when the 

 surface soil is dry and workable. The better plan is 

 to draw drill-rows, which should not be less than 

 twelve to fifteen inches apart. Undue crowding of 

 the young plants, an aE but invariable error, makes 

 it impossible for individual plants to grow to such a 

 size as they are under liberal culture capable of 

 doing. Towards the middle of the month of May 

 the young seedling plants wUl have attained to such 

 size as to require thinning out. The proper distance 

 apart in the rows is eight inches. Should vacancies 

 exist they may be made up by transplanting strong 

 plants, with a deep dibble, wherever they occur. 

 The only after-cultiire requisite consists of periodi- 

 cal hoeings, to maintain the soil loose between the 

 plants and destroy all weeds so soon as they appear. 



There is not much variety here. The Student is a 

 new variety prized by many. The older original 

 HoUow Crown variety is hot probably yet surpassed 

 for general qualities. A strong variety has long had 

 prominence in Guernsey and Jersey, which is some- 

 times called Cattle Parsnip — the Coquaine of the 

 French, who also grow the Zisionaise, a variety 

 called sometimes the Malta. The Student is con- 

 sidered by some better than either. The seeds require 

 to be dropped somewhat thinly, into inch-deep 

 driU-rows recommended, and should then be covered 

 over in the usual way. 



Pea {Fisum saiivtnn). French, Fois ; German, 

 Erbse; Spanish, Gimanti ; Italian, Fiaello. — ^The Pea 

 is a hardy annual, native of Southern Europe ; its 

 introduction is of long standing, though it is note- 

 worthy that in the time of Queen Elizabeth [vide 

 Fuller) the produce was introduced periodically from 

 Holland for use at the royal table. Like many 

 plants which are natives of Southern Europe, it will 

 in a young state withstand the adverse influences of 

 British winters. 



Few amongst popular vegetables have been im- 

 proved so greatly of late years. In contrast to the 

 original old " Charlton " of English gardens, and the 

 Nantsrre of French gardens, possessing pods only 

 about three or four inches long, with a similar 

 number of small peas within, varieties now exist 

 having pods of about double the length, containing 

 from nine to twelve large peas in each. 



The treatment of the several successional crops 

 has to be varied somewhat in accordance with the 

 season when the seeds are sown, and that in which it 

 is intended the crops should come to perfection. For 

 instance, when sown in the autumn for standing, in 

 short seedling plants, through the fluctuations of our 

 long winter months, for the very earliest crop, or 

 sown very early after the advent of the new year 

 with a like intent, a light, porous, sandy soil is the 

 one suitable, and it should be one also exposed to 

 all the sun possible, sheltered from northerly and 

 easterly winds by walls, fences, or belts of trees, 

 standing sufficiently far back not to in any way 

 influence the young plants, either by shade of upper 

 growth or adverse encroachment of root on to the 

 cultivated area whereon they are grown. 



For the permanent crop a deep rich loam of a 

 tenacious nature incUuing to be clay- like is essential, 

 or the crops, grown as they are thickly together in 

 rows, will assuredly suffer during dry or moderately 

 damp seasons. The result will be a too limited 

 growth according to kind, an equally limited crop, 

 and the uhdue hurrying of even such crop into the 

 dry seed-bearing or ripening state, in opposition to a 

 continued successional supply of large succulent pods, 

 containing peas within in kind also. 



These remarks amply show that such a crop as 

 this, if worth growing at all, should be grown well. 

 It is far better to sow only a row of each of the early 

 kinds, second early, and general crop, upon well- 

 prepared ground, than to sow quantities in duplicate 

 upon poor or indifferently-prepared soils. It is 

 advised, therefore, that such good stiEE loam as 

 recommended be chosen as far as possible upon a 

 fully-exposed sunny site, and one not too near to 

 fruit-trees, which so generally exist in vegetable 

 gardens ; for which purpose deep trenching, such as 

 is advised for the Onion crop, is equally important. 

 Eoots of Peas penetrate somewhat deeply, and unless 

 they find nucleus for advance of growth at a depth 

 below that to which simple digging can deposit 

 manure, the growth will succumb at the most 

 important time of aU. All ground trenched — and 

 in lieu of trenching proper, bastard trenching is 

 strongly advised — should be so treated during the 

 winter season ; and the lighter the soil to be operated 

 upon, so much the earlier should this be done. Too 

 much manure — and it may be of a coarse, crude, or 



