AMONG THE FLOWERS WITH BEX FORD 



315 



to advise sprinkling it among the plants 

 m the ratio of a teaspoonful to a running 

 foot, doing this each time the soil is 

 irawn in about them. After the ground 

 is leveled by repeated drawing in it will 

 probably not be necessary to use more 

 fertilizer. 



The matter of support for the vines is 

 as important one. Some persons expect 

 them to clamber over a fence or a trellis 



therefore provide for rank growth by mak- 

 ing your support tall enough to accommo- 

 date their fullest development. The net- 

 ting can be fastened to posts set in the vow 

 about eight feet apart. Stretch it tightly. 

 Let the bottom of it come to within an 

 inch of the soil, and as soon as the plants 

 reach it begin to train them to take hold 

 of it by winding them out ancl in through 

 the meshes. It is generally necessary to 



SWEET PEA GROWING ON TRELLIS 



)f lath. They will not do this, becauso 

 :heir facilities for climbing are not 

 idapted to such clumsy supports. They 

 nust be given something -which their ten- 

 Irils can take hold of. Unless they are 

 ^iven a support of this kind their vines 

 vill crinkle down, and that is the begin- 

 ling of the end for them. Because of the 

 ^ase with which it is put in place, and be- 

 cause of its lasting quality, I make use of 

 ^oven wire netting. I use that with a 

 Tfiesh at least two inches across, and in 

 iix-feet widths. A narrower netting will 

 lot answer your purpose, if the soil is as 

 'ich as it ought to be. Plants often grow 

 ;o a height of eight feet, with good care; 



give them some assistance of this kind 

 at the beginning of their climb upward^ 

 but as soon as they have laid hold of the 

 wire with their - delicate fingers they will 

 be in a position to take care of themselves. 

 If netting is not at hand a very good sup- 

 port can be made by nailing strips to posts^ 

 one at the bottom and one at the top, and 

 stretching coarse, stout twine from one 

 to the other, diagonally, in such a manner 

 as to form diamond-shaped meshes about 

 six inches wide. This can be easily done 

 by driving small nails into the strips to 

 pass the twine over. It is quite impor- 

 tant that the twine used should be strongs 

 as it will have considerable weight to sup- 



