58 MY GROWING GARDEN 



of rough manure to hold moisture, following with 

 layers of soil and manure to the top. 



I wonder what is the best training procedure for 

 peas of all sorts? In this garden we've fussed with 

 many sorts of equivalents for the "brush" that 

 would probably be ideal until we had it. For peas 

 to eat, we've used "chicken wire," even up to 

 four and five feet; but it's a sort of expensive nui- 

 sance. For sweet peas, the chicken wire, and also 

 a scheme of strips my ingenious son worked out, 

 which seemed to meet all needs when planned, and 

 nearly none when used. Six-foot cypress stakes, 

 driven in a foot, and "strung" between with 

 coarse twine, worked once; but it was slow business 

 to put the trellis up, and heavy rains set it to 

 twisting around too much. There are costly 

 trellises in the catalogues, or in the seed-stores; 

 but I can't take so much of my slim garden appro- 

 priation for things that won't grow. 



One year I had planted some sweet peas in late 

 fall, to secure an earlier start. I presume the start 

 was so early it got clear away, for only four plants 

 did actually come through. They grew vocifer- 

 ously, and with, in consequence of much mortality 

 amongst their neighbors, plenty of room. So I 

 provided them — ^the fearless four — with a little 

 efifect of sticks and strings on which they produced 



