November IS. 
THE COTTAGE GAllDENEE. 
127 
reason—tlio upper surface licing full of moisture, and 
buried at the bottom of the heap in that state, hai’deTis 
or runs together into a close, lumpy state, into 'which 
the beneficial gases of the atmosphere cannot enter, 
and, therefore, the turning over the heap is positively 
injurious, and that to an extent that few amateurs are 
aware of. Turn over these composts, or tlie more simple 
soils, loam, peat movdd, vegetable juould, or even dung 
itself (unless it be stable litter in a very dry state), when 
the surface is moderately dry. A very good time or 
season to turn the various compost heaps is in a dry 
Irost, without snow. If during such a time tlie heaps 
can be turned over till every part has been frozen in its 
turn, the soils will then be, when a thaw takes place, in 
beautiful order, and the work of decomposition will 
have progressed wonderfully. By having this done 
properly, and at tlie right times, 1 have had tenacious 
loams mellowed and pulverised, and made fit and in 
good condition to mix with other lighter ingredients in 
one winter’s exposure. And I have also had tree leaves 
mellowed and decomposed by such attention, in one 
year, quite as much so as without such care during frost 
the same material would have taken two years to bring 
into a state fit for use. The old proverb. Procrastination 
is the tide/ of time, applies, perhaps, more to gardening 
operations than any other business. 
The loam for the Petunia should be rather light, and 
should be used whilst the roots of the grasses are visible, 
that is, about one year after it has arrived into the 
compost-yard. Of this, as a gardener would say, beau¬ 
tiful loam, take one-half, add to it one-quarter leaf 
rnould, one-eighth well-decomposed hotbed dung, one- 
eighth sandy peat, and as much sand (river would do) 
as would give the compost a sandy character. These 
component parts may either be mixed two or three 
months previously to the time of potting, or be mixed 
the very day it is wanted. In both cases, let the mixing 
or compounding take place when the materials are mo¬ 
derately dry. If there should be a continuance of wet 
weather, let a sufficient quantity of each be brought 
into the potting room, or some other place sheltered 
from wet, a mouth previously to the potting season, 
nr order that it may dry gradually, and so become fit 
tor use. T. Appleby. 
A CHAPTEK ON PEAS. 
Next in importance to the potato, and certainly not 
less thought of when they first make their appearance, 
“ a dish of green peas ” forms a sort of epoch whereby 
we date the advent of summer, and the introduction of 
the various products common at that time. Besides, 
the first dish of green peas is a no less remarkable 
addition to the table fare than the first game of the 
season; and though the appearance of the latter may 
bo counted on with a certainty as being forthcoming on 
a particular day, defined by statute, the introduction of 
green peas is not in any way secured by such pi-otective 
laws. Acting, therefore, in the spirit of such liheral 
enactments, the skilful cultivator of late years has en¬ 
deavoured to hasten on this crop by all the means he 
can command, and one of the most important things he 
looks to is the possession of a good, useful, early kind 
of pea, to sow at the fitting time. Now, though in this 
case, as in all others, when anything like a demand 
exists, there is no lack of variety of names, pandering 
to the capricious taste of an unsteady public, seedsmen 
have met their views (or attempted to do so) by mul¬ 
tiplying varieties to an entMess extent. Of course 
each succeeding new one is said to be so many days 
earlier than any that preceded it, which, if they had all 
})roved true, we ought by this time to have had green 
peas before the usual time of sowing, if we were allowed 
to reckon these respective days backwards! It would 
be as absurd to expect these accumulations of utility j 
realised as it would bo to look for railway speed in- i 
creasing so as to land a passenger safely at the end ' 
of a long journey some time before he started from the | 
other, although we have been told of an American who 
maintained the probability of such a thing happening, 
from calculations he had made of the rapid increase of 
speed of late years, yet I do not deny that some advance 
has been made in the right direction in the matter of 
green peas, and probably further ju’Ogress may be made 
that way, so as to induce them to hasten their period of 
usefulness. At all events, enterprise must be directed 
that way in some shape, otherwise a retrograde move- i 
meut will be the consequence. I cannot report any 
very material change in the earliness of the best 
variety of pea of the present day, with those in use 
some twenty years ago, yet they may be a trifle; besides 
which, unless some new varieties be introduced, the 
extreme old ones degenerate, the same as fruits and 
other vegetables ; but this anxiety to produce new kinds 
has gone too far; sorts have been puffed upon us dif¬ 
fering in no respects from those preceding them. While 
this has been done by the careful and conscientious 
trader, less scrupulous parties have been coining high- 
sounding names, and issuing half-a-dozen kinds out of 
one bag, with an avidity which none but John Bull 
would tolerate. However, there ai'e numerous honour¬ 
able exceptions to this rule, as well as careful and i 
enthusiastic cultivators who spare no pains to increase * 
the utility of this and other vegetables. To this party 
we are mainly indebted for the position we stand in as 
regards quality, earliness, and the other improve¬ 
ments imparted to the objects of their attention, still ' 
it must be admitted that peas have not benefited 
much. 
The Early Frame of a quarter-of-a-centiny ago was ■ 
often found in pod, and fit to gather, about as caily 
as the most fashionable-named kind of the present j 
day ; and why not ?—the seasons have not changed so i 
much for the better yet, and they are of much more 
importance to the well-being of a crop than all the ! 
horticultural skill of the world, however well directed ; 
and applied. Tho season, by which term I mean the 
state of the atmosphere, has not undergone any material 
change ; and though we now live in days of steam and 
galvanism, yet Nature’s operations develop themselves 
in a way which alike baflles our skill to hasten or retard, 
when the ordinary agents by which she works remain 
unaided and unchecked. 
In the case of peas for the first crop, our object is to 
promote their earliness; and, in doing so, one of our 
first duties is to supply them with a piece of ground 
containing as much warmth as the means we have at 
command will allow. Now, it unfortunately happens, 
wo cannot do much that way; we cannot impart heat 
to any great amount, but we can, to a certain extent, 
prevent its being absorbed or withdrawn. An undue 
amount of cold stagnant water is at variance with the 
early production of any crop whatever, therefore, when¬ 
ever that threatens to prevail, means must be taken to 
remove it. Ground for early peas must be well drained, 
either naturally or artificially; if by the former means, 
so much the better. Shelter, again, tends to warmth. A 
wall reflects back a considerable number of the sun’s rays 
thrown upon it, therefore, what is called a south border 
is preferable to an open squai’o, these requisites being 
at command, and the ground having, by previous 
digging, &c., been rendered as fine and open as possible. 
No time must bo now lost in sowing the seed, as, by 
a number of experiments, I have found tho middle of 
November the best time to sow peas to stand tho winter. 
In doing this, observe to sow them thicker than the 
usual spring or summer crop, tho many mishaps they are j 
