KITCHEN-GARDEN VEGETABLES. 
face should be kept so that the rain-water may 
pass through the soil. 
Manure should be applied in greater or less 
quantity, according as the soil is more or less 
poor. In general, Peas are sown in ground 
that has been manured for a previous crop; 
but for the latest crop it is a good plan to 
trench the ground, putting a layer of rotten 
dung about 1 foot below the surface. For 
early crops horse-dung is preferable, and in 
moist situations it may be employed in a littery 
state when only partially decomposed, so that 
it may act mechanically as drainage. When 
the soil has not been enriched for a previous 
crop, and is too poor for Peas, farmyard manure 
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Fig. 1248.—Pisum sativum, dwarf form. 
can always be depended on. Blood is an excel- 
lent manure for Peas. It may be applied fresh 
and watered in, or in a dried state and forked 
into the rows. 
With regard to artificial manures, the natural 
composition of the soil should be ascertained, 
and if possible substances of which it is de- 
ficient should be supplied. In calcareous dis- 
tricts 1t would, of course, be worse than useless 
to add lime, chalk, or gypsum; but these sub- 
stances will, on the contrary, be highly beneficial 
in all soils where they only exist in very limited 
quantity. Some artificial manures act injuri- 
ously when they are in immediate contact with 
the germinating seed, and the seed itself doubt- 
less affords the best nourishment that can be 
given, and till that is exhausted, or nearly so, 
stimulants of any kind must be either superflu- 
ous or injurious. Guano, however, has been 
found to answer well when mixed with the soil 
in the bottom of the drill, and then covered 
with 14 or 2 inches of soil. When at this dis- 
tance from the pushing embryo the latter can- 
not be injured by the manure, and the radicle, 
when it approaches it, is strong enough to 
assimilate the nourishment thus afforded. Ex- 
cellent crops have been obtained with guano 
481 
applied in a similar manner, and the haulm was 
shorter and stronger than where no guano was 
employed; but on Marrow Peas, which are 
naturally inclined to grow too luxuriant, the 
effect as regards produce was not so good. 
The ground having been prepared, the first 
thing to be done is to mark the distances for 
the rows, and this will depend on the height of 
the variety, which again ought to be selected 
according to circumstances. Where the space is 
limited, or where tall sorts would injuriously 
shade other things, it may be advisable to select 
dwarf kinds, or at all events not very tall ones. 
It has been well ascertained that rows standing 
far apart yield the best and most abundant 
produce. Hence, some have them 20 or 30 
feet apart or more, the intermediate space being 
occupied by other crops. The usual plan, how- 
ever, is to make the rows from 3 to 6 feet 
asunder. The very dwarf sorts, not requiring 
sticks, such as Harbinger, Chelsea Gem, and 
Sutton’s Green Gem, may be sown in rows 
18 inches apart; and, as a general rule, the dis- 
tance between the rows may be made equal to 
the height to which the variety usually grows. 
The vigorous-growing dwarf Marrows require 
more space than the slender-growing kinds. 
Duke of Albany, Alderman, Goldfinder, and 
Ne Plus Ultra should have not less than 6 feet 
of space between the rows, unless space is very 
limited, and then the distance may be a foot or 
so less, taking care, however, to top the plants 
when 54 or not more than 6 feet high. 
First EARLY PEAS. 
For early Peas, the best direction for the 
rows is east and west. This would be length- 
wise along a south border; but it is generally 
more convenient to sow across the border, and 
if it be done obliquely from south-east to north- 
west, the ridge of soil drawn to the roots of 
the plants will have the sun’s rays nearly direct 
on its broadside when they are hottest. 
For the main crops in the open quarters it 
is best to sow the rows from north to south. 
The average depth of the drills should be 2 or 
3 inches for small sorts, and 4 inches for the 
large kinds. Instead of drawing the drills so 
as to form a triangular furrow, make them wide 
and flat at bottom, say 7 inches wide, or at all 
events not less than 6 inches; the roots will 
thus have room to grow without being crowded, 
; and without robbing each other of nourishment 
and moisture. 
The seeds are often sown too thickly; on the 
