136 



GARDEN GUIDES 



should make a sturdy growth. 

 In the shade the growth is weak 

 and spindly and but few flowers 

 are produced. 



Place Peas, then, in the 

 open, giving them all available 

 hght and air, although a Uttle 

 shade from midday suns of June 

 and July is, of course, beneficial. 

 Hot weather causes short stems 

 on Peas and the best hay and 

 grain weather ends them. 



Preparation of the Soil 



This is an important point. 

 Peas like the cool soil and 

 attempt to strike down 

 deeply. Dig a trench two or 

 three feet deep, break up and 

 turn over the subsoil. Do not 

 use if for top soil if it is poor. 

 Put in a liberal amount of stable 

 manm^e and work in a heavy 

 dressing of bonemeal. This prep- 

 aration should be made in the 



The Sweet Pea— perhaps the most dainty Fall and the bed left all Winter. 



of all flowering annuals ^^^len working over in the Spring , 



give a good, Uberal coating of well decayed manure or some fertilizer. If 

 the soil is deficient in lime, dust the surface with fresh lime in Fall or 

 Winter, using it as soon as slaked. As early as the ground can be pre- 

 pared in the Spring, dig a trench or furrow five to six inches deep 

 and six inches wide. Sow the seed on the bottom and cover with two 

 inches of soil. As the vines grow up fill in the soil until level with the 

 garden surface. Sweet Pea speciaHsts advise using a hberal quantity 

 of seed, enough to make sure of securing a good stand, and when well 

 started, thin the plants out to two to five inches apart. 

 Sweet Peas are often sown in double rows five inches apart in the 

 trench, with trellis or other support placed between. 



Sowing Seeds in Pots 

 In order to gain a month in season Sweet Peas may be sown in 

 three-inch pots in February and placed in a coldframe. But they are 

 generally sown a month • before wanted for outdoor planting and a 

 smaller pot is used. Four seeds are sown in each pot. The frame should 



