April 1014 



THhi (JARDRN AND FIELD. 



485 



dation of success, lies in the proper 

 preparation of the soil, and if this 

 operation is shirked or in any way 

 skimmed over, your ef?orts will in a 

 large measure be set at naught, and 

 disappointment will almost surely l)c 

 your lot, unless you are fortunate 

 enough to possess one of those rare 

 conditions of an ideal soil, rich, deep 

 and porous. Possessing this, you 

 might well ignore this part dealing 

 with the preparation of the soil, but 

 as in about 95 per cent, of the cases 

 we are only blest with about six to 

 eight inches of tolerable good soil 

 we must labour heartily to improve 

 this so that we may have from 

 twenty-four to thirty inches of well- 

 manured compost. 



Let me now describe the method 

 which I have found very satisfactory, 

 though making no claims to superi- 

 ority over other methods. Assuming 

 a hypothetical case of six rows, each 

 fifty feet long, we would lay out a 

 rectangular plot thirty-six feet by 

 fifty and on the chorter of ■ thirty-six 

 foot side, three feet from the corner, 

 set a stake, then every six feet a 

 stake, until the six rows are indicated. 

 Stakes should be placed opposite 

 each other at both ends, and should 

 denote the centre of each row. Now 

 commencing on the fifty foot side, 

 we remove the top nine inches to*" soil 

 from three feet on both sides of the 

 centre of row one and place it outside 

 of our plot entirely, to be later carted 

 or wheeled to finish the last row. The 

 top soil being removed, we dig a 

 trench (always using the end stakes 

 as a centre) eighteen inches deep and 

 two feet wide, placing the subsoil re- 

 moved on either side of the trench 

 where the good topsoil has just been 

 dug off. Then commencing on row 

 two, we remove the topsoil off the six 

 feet wide and to the same depth as 

 before, and use it for filling trench 

 one, but not without mixing about 

 a ton of half-decayed farmyard 

 manure and fifty pounds each of 

 bonemeal and woodashes, also about 

 two pounds of well pulverized sul- 

 phate of iron, being sure at all times 

 to thoroughly incorporate the whole 

 mixture. Proceed thus to the last 

 row when soil from row one will be 

 used for filling. As each row is 

 finished endeavour to leave the soil 

 ridged up so as to give the frost a 

 chance to do all the disintegrating 

 possible. That all this sounds like a 

 heavy task I know full well, but if 

 you would have good, long stemmed 

 peas, over the longest possible sea- 



son, this, or some modification of this 

 method, must be followed. 



— Sowing the Seed. — 

 Having prepared the soil we next 

 come by logical sequence to the sow- 

 ing of the seed, and by all means 

 spare no effort to secure good seed 

 from a reliable seedsman. If you 

 would not be disappointed in securing 

 some choice variety which you have 

 set your heart upon, get them as early 

 as possible and keep in a cool place 

 until sowing time arrives. 



Before we sow, or perhaps Ijeforc 

 we buy, it will be in order to deter- 

 mine how many seeds we require. On 

 the basis of six rows fifty feet long, 

 it will require six hundred plants to 

 space the plants six inches apart, 

 which is quite thick enough. At any 

 rate, if we start to raise six hundred, 

 the chances are that from one cause 

 or another a few will succumb be- 

 tween germination and planting-out 

 time, if they do we can plant eight 

 inches apart, and this will fill up the 

 row and possibly give better flowers 

 than if planted six inches apart. To 

 raise our six hundred plants we must 

 put in about nine hundred seeds, esti- 

 mating a seventy per cent, germina- 

 tion, which is about what we may 

 reasonably expect. At the outside it 

 will only require three ounces, as 

 each ounce contains more than three 

 hundred seeds. 



— Choosing Varieties. — 

 The Sweet Pea grower has to make 

 his choice of the varieties he intends 

 growing, .and when he views the 

 lengthy lists contained in every cata- 

 logue (writes The Garden), may be 

 pardoned if he quails before the task, 

 for the difficulty is not so much what 

 to select as what to neglect. 



Personality is a potent factor in 

 choosing varieties, for without a true 

 love of the flower no real success is 

 possible; thus, each exhibitor will 

 select the varieties and colours he 

 likes. 



Of the novelties offered this pre- 

 sent autumn (1913),, these twelve are 

 good: 



King White. — Without doubt the 

 largest white Sweet Pea that has 

 yet appeared; a vigorous growf, pro- 

 ducing fine, beautifully-waved blooms, 

 mostly fours, on good stems. Blue 

 King, — A Lord Nelson in Spencer 

 form, good grower, carrying nicely- 

 placed flowers (abundance of fours), 

 which stand rain and sunshine well. 



New Marquis. — An improved stock of 

 this much-prized mauve variety, and 

 now the best thing in its class. Illu- 

 minator. — A richer and deeper-colf)ur- 

 cd Edith Taylor, excelling it also in 

 growth and size of flowers. One of 

 the prettiest varieties yet raised. Sin- 

 cerity. — A deep cerise, briglitcr than 

 Kathleen, a novelty of the previous 

 year, and it is also an advance in size 

 of flowers, of which it carries plenty 

 of fours. An altogether first-class 

 Sweet Pea. Blue Picotee. — An im- 

 proved Mrs. W. J. Unwin, which, in 

 all probability, it will oust from popu- 

 lar favour. Edith King and Mabel 

 Baccus will delight all lovers of the 

 Helen Pierce family; both are vigor- 

 ous and free, and will please either for 

 the garden or exhibition. Mrs. Mc- 

 Illwrick. — A bicolor with rosy mauve 

 standard and wings of a deeper tone. 

 A vigorous grower, producing plenty 

 of fours. It is delightful when seen 

 growing under glass. Wedgewood. — 

 A medium blue, superilor in size and 

 colour to Flora Norton Spencer. 

 Anglian Royalty attracted attention 

 at the Chelsea Show, and lovers of 

 this colour should procure it. It re- 

 quires to be grown in partial shade, 

 but I did not see this variety growing, 

 hence cannot say further of it. 

 Quaker Maid was first seen by me 

 under the name of Grey Lavender. 

 It is a large Sweet Pea of good sub- 

 stance, a fine free grower, with flow- 

 ers having a dove grey standard and 

 blue lavender wings. 



Some at least of the above will be 

 grown here this season, and it will be 

 interesting to see how they shape un- 

 der Australian conditions. As a rule, 

 of course, a flower which is good in 

 England or America is good in Aus- 

 tralia, but there are exceptions which, 

 of course, can only be discovered by 

 experience. 







When planting bulbs, particularly 

 in heavy soil, a bucketful or barrow- 

 load of sand will be helpful, just a 

 sprinkling in and around them will 

 be helpful, especially at lifting time, 

 when they will come out in a nice, 

 clean condition. It is quite possible 

 to overdo the sand idea in heavy clay, 

 in which moisture does not drain 

 away rapidly, for if you make a poc- 

 ket of sand as is sometimes done, and 

 the bulb has a bad time. You cannot 

 use too much sand in reason in such 

 soil, but it should be incorporated 

 throughout the whole bulk, not in 

 isolated patches. 



