86 SWEET PEAS IN PENNSYLVANIA 



is a very troublesome time to sow Peas, as the intense heat 

 we often experience then is entirely adverse to the con- 

 ditions under which the plants thrive. 



We often have trouble with the tender vines dampening 

 off at the ground; in fact, on .more than one occasion they 

 damped to the extent of 50 ft. to 100 ft. of row. We have 

 tried different methods to prevent this trouble — have used 

 lime in the soil at planting time, sterilized with formalde- 

 hyde, and tried keeping the soil both wet and dry, and have 

 come to the conclusion that a partial preventive is a well 

 dampened soil at sowing time, and care in keeping condi- 

 tions as uniform as possible. 



We have with us a disease called " black root," which 

 seems to be the most troublesome during extremely hot 

 weather. The writer has on several occasions sown an 

 entire house which became affected with this disease. It 

 is noticeable soon after the vines appear above the surface 

 by their stunted, yellowish appearance. The roots, on 

 examination, are found to be black for several inches of 

 their length below the surface of the soil; also, many of the 

 rootlets are entirely rotted off. If one has patience, with 

 the coming of cooler weather many of these vines will 

 send out new roots and make a fair growth of vine, but 

 never as good as those not affected. 



Make a furrow beside the diseased rows and sow a 

 fresh supply of seed; this generally gives good results, as 

 the second sowing, while in the same soil, is naturally made 

 considerably later in the season. On one occasion, owing 

 to a fear of again having this disease to contend with, we 

 planted another crop in the house and delayed sowing Peas 

 until the beginning of October, and had little or no trouble 

 from the disease, which goes to prove that it is a hot weather 

 disease. Peas for Midwinter blooming were sown in 



