52 
THE AMATEUR’S KITCHEN GARDEN. 
eeventy pots of 16 size, sufficient for a running length of 140 
feet, or seven rows of 20 feet each, enough for any family from 
the first week in May to the middle of June, when sound early 
sorts from open ground sowings will come in to succeed them. 
Sticking should be performed early, for the stakes not only 
support, but in some degree shelter the plant. In any and 
every case, if support of some kind can be provided, the plant 
will be more thrifty for it, and will yield a better crop. In 
putting the ordinary stakes to peas, the usual practice is to 
lean them in over the plant ; but it is better to lean them out 
to encourage the plant to spread, for the abundant admission 
of light and air will render it fruitful to the ground line. But 
when the stakes lean out, they must be the more firmly driven 
into the ground, because they do not support each other. 
They should not lean out much, but just enough to encourage 
a somewhat spreading growth. 
In districts where stakes are cosily, wire netting and poles 
and lines are used instead. Mr. Voyce of Horley, in Surrey, 
manufactures a cheap wire rissel or trellis, and most of the 
London dealers in wirework have similar contrivances. The 
pole and line is an effectual mode of supporting peas and 
runner beans, and must be described. Larch poles six leet 
long should be procured if possible, but of course any slim 
poles will answer nearly as well. Drive them in about nine 
feet apart. A cord of the thickness of a common lead pencil 
will be required for such strong growing peas as British Queen , 
Me Plus Ultra, and King of the Marrows , but a lighter and. 
cheaper cord with shorter stakes will do for the three and four 
feet peas. The first run of the line should be at three inches 
from the ground, and the next at three inches more, after 
which the distance may be six inches from line to line, and 
there must of course be a turn round every pole, and the line 
must not be drawn quite tight because of its contraction 
dm'ing wet weather. The sparrows will not be able to do 
much mischief to peas supported in this way, as they require 
a good foothold to hack the pods open to get the peas. 
It remains to be said that where there is plenty of room 
and appearances are not of great consequence, peas of all 
kinds, no matter how tall, may be very well grown without 
supports of any kind. We have given up staking as a waste 
of time, and (except when growing tall sorts for trial) restrict 
the selection to sorts that rise only three or four feet. These are 
