[, ; Nov. 29th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
197 
like success,” and it is true in Pea-growing as in 
everything else. 
The Cultivation of Peas.— Peas like good land, 
well and deeply dug, and well manured all through, 
but especially so at the bottom. For the main and 
late crops it is even a necessity on light land, and in a 
droughty season, to make every line of Peas like making 
a Celery trench ; throw out the soil to the depth of 
12 ins. or 18 ins. and put in good manure to the depth 
of 6 ins. or 9 ins., and then putting on 6 ins. or 9 ins. of 
soil. It is the poverty of the land low down where the 
roots are feeding by the time the plants are cropping, 
and when they most need support, that causes them to 
mildew and shrivel up and prematurely ripen. Set it 
down as quite settled that labour and muck both pay, 
and pay well, in Pea-growing, and that poor land and 
shallow cultivation is the road to annoyance and loss. 
“What sorts do you grow?” is a question often 
asked of every gardener. Well, there is none better 
for the earliest sowing than William the First, and I 
like Sutton’s Ringleader or Carter’s First Crop. For 
THE LILY OF THE VALLEY. 
Convallaeia majalis, or the Lily of the Valley, is a 
universal favourite, and there are probably few gardens 
of any pretensions in which a bed or a border of it 
may not be found ; but unfortunately how few are the 
gardens in which the plant receives any special atten¬ 
tion as to cultivation. In far too many cases we find 
the plants at the foot of a wall, under a border of 
shrubs, or in some neglected spot where little attention 
is given them, except occasional weeding and in the 
season gathering the small starved flower sprays as 
they appear. Where these delicious flowers are wanted 
early in the new year, no time should be lost in getting 
them potted up, and to those who have not an extra 
good stock to deal with, I would say purchase some 
roots of the nurseryman who advertises such things in 
the pages of this paper. The majority of nurserymen 
and seedsmen keep them in stock at this season, and 
those sold either as single forcing crowns, or in clumps, 
are equally adapted to our purpose. 
the pots of Lilies in the frame, but do not plunge 
them into the manure, and over the crowns sprinkle a 
few inches of cocoa-fibre or leaf-soil. Place a ther¬ 
mometer in the frame by the side of the plants. Put 
on the light, and over the same a mat to keep the 
frame dark. If the heat does not rise satisfactorily, 
place some good heating materials around the bed and 
sides of the box, and some litter over the top of the 
frame. In this way the heat will generally rise, but 
care must be taken that it does not get too hot, in 
which case some of the lining material must be 
removed, and the heat be so regulated between 65 degs. 
and 80 degs.; it may sometimes be necessary to open 
the light a little at the top, to allow the strong heat 
to escape. 
In this humid situation the Crocus will start readily, 
and when they have pushed a few inches and are 
showing their flowers, they should be removed to a 
warm house or pit, and here grea/t care must be 
taken to gradually enure them to the light and air, 
either of which would injure them while in this 
ASPLENIUM HOBRIDUM. 
a dwarf Pea none is better than American Wonder. 
Day’s Early Sunrise is a good early Pea, and a brother 
gardener, who grows very good early Peas, thinks there 
is none to beat Taber’s Perfection. Try a new one 
each year, and when you have got that sort that does 
best with you, stick to it. That is the best advice I 
can give. For the main crop few are better than that 
old sort, Champion of England, though Telephone and 
Stratagem are newer ones of the marrow type. Laxton’s 
Fillbasket is a good market Pea. For late crop none 
can beat Ne Plus Ultra, though I prefer for some 
positions its dwarf other self, another of Laxton’s, 
called Omega ; this is a 3 ft. 6 ins. or 4 ft. Ne Plus 
Ultra. McLean’s Best of All is an excellent late Pea, and 
Berkshire Hero comes in very useful with its gather¬ 
ings as late as October. Any of these are good and 
will satisfy the generality of growers. Every one must 
study their position and ground and stakes, even in 
the choice of Peas ; for it does not do to sow 6 ft. Peas 
and put 4 ft. rods to them. Judgment and adaptation 
as well as labour is required in the growing of Peas, 
as indeed in all things that concern the garden.— P. 
In forcing these plants different cultivators have 
different methods, several of which I have practised 
myself ; but the plan that I prefer above all others is 
to force them on a hot-bed. Assuming that we have 
taken either the single crowns or clumps and potted 
them up into suitable-sized pots, or placed them in 
boxes, carefully working some fine soil among the 
single crowns, we then place them in a cold frame, 
and give them a good watering to settle the soil about 
their roots. We next take into consideration the 
making of the liot-bed, and for this we use the litter 
which has been rejected at the time of preparing the 
manure for Mushrooms, to which we add about two- 
thirds of leaves as they are swept off the lawns and 
walks in the pleasure-ground, well mixing the whole 
together. These should now be made up into a bed, 
in the same manner as we would make one for 
propagating purposes. 
A single light frame of ordinary size is large enough 
for most gardens, and when this has been set on the 
bed, some cocoa-fibre refuse or leaf-soil should be put 
on the manure to keep back the strong heat. Place 
delicate state. The plan which I have found to 
answer best, is to place them under a hand-light in a 
shady place, either in a Cucumber pit or plant stove 
and keep them close for a few days, after which air must 
be admitted by degrees until the light may be en¬ 
tirely removed, and later on giving them a better 
position to improve the texture of their flowers and 
foliage; this at first sight may appear to give a lot of 
trouble, but such is not the case, as the same appli¬ 
ances will answer for several batches, and keep up the 
succession until such conveniences may be wholly 
dispensed with. A vinery at work is a capital place 
for the plants after giving them a start in the frame, 
as the humid atmosphere suits them during the dark 
days of winter, and, later on, they wall come on in the 
greenhouses and cold frames ; and, lastly, with a good 
plantation out-of-doors and a frame placed over a 
portion of the same, the supply may be kept up till 
the flowers may be gathered out-of-doors ; and here it 
is wise to grow some on south, east or west and north 
aspects, to prolong the season of flowering to the 
utmost. 
