JUNE 83 



these the last year's growth is cut back in March to 

 within two to five eyes from where it leaves the main 

 branch, according to the strength of the kind. This 

 must not be done with the Teas. With these the 

 oldest wood is cut right out from the base, and the 

 blooming shoots left full length. But it is well, to- 

 wards the end of July or beginning of August, to cut 

 back the ends of soft summer shoots in order to give 

 them a chance of ripening what is left. When an old 

 Tea looks worn out, if cut right down in March or 

 April it will often throw out vigorous young growth, 

 and quite renew its Hfe. 



Within the first days of June we can generally 

 pick some Sweet Peas from the rows sown in the 

 second week of September. They are very much 

 stronger than those sown in spring. By November 

 they are four inches high, and seem to gain strength 

 and sturdiness during the winter; for as soon as 

 spring comes they shoot up with great vigour, and we 

 know that the spray used to support them must be 

 two feet higher than for those that are spring-sown. 

 The flower-stalks are a foot long, and many have four 

 flowers on a stalk. They are sown in shallow trenches ; 

 in spring they are earthed up very slightly, but still 

 with a little trench at the base of the plants. A few 

 doses of liquid manure are a great help when they are 

 getting towards blooming strength. 



I am very fond of the Elder-tree. It is a sociable 

 sort of thing; it seems to like to grow near human 



