82 CULTURE OF THE SWEET PEA 



August when the weather is extremely 

 warm the glass should be kept white- 

 washed as long as the hot weather con- 

 tinues. After the seedlings appear above 

 ground they may be sprayed several times 

 each day during hot spells. 



To prevent slow germination the seed 

 may be soaked in water for about fifteen 

 hours just before sowing. This will cause 

 the seed to soften and swell so that when 

 sown they will germinate quickly. Those 

 which still remain hard after the soaking 

 should be rubbed against a fine flat file, 

 taking one seed in each hand and striking 

 once or twice over the file just enough to 

 cut the hard skin. The seeds treated in 

 this way should be dropped back into the 

 water, and within another fifteen hours 

 they will be soft, swollen, and ready to 

 sow. 



