Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-04-18

This is one of the vegetables which market
gardeners SOW early in the spring. We have
for several years urged upon farmers the de-
STABILITY Of having a considerable quantity Of
peas for family use. They precode green
corn and certainly of the early vegetables
there is none so delightful as the green pea.
Children who are sometimes avcrse to green
vegetable food seldom refuse tender green
peas, especially when they are cooked thin"
or in plenty of juice, with just a dash of su-
gar There are varieties in plenty which are
so sweet of themselves that sugar is super
fuous but children have Sweet tooth,
and sometimes the elders stand little extra
sweetening Many of us remember that in
our childhood days the strong, unctuous and
sometimes bitter marrowfat pea was cooked
'to death. " cooked until it was a sort of mash
or mush. Our housewives are learning that
nothing Is lost in nutrimeut while much is
gained in dolicousness, by cooking pens, ms
the children say, chin" Indeed one Of the
most delightful, though perhaps for hard
workers not very substantial or filling of
soups is one made from green peas. The
finest varieties are the wrinkled sorts. Epi-
cures seldom nowadays fancy the plump, sol
id varieties, like the marrowfHts which, we
confess, are very productive aud salahlc. 1t
is best TO plant carly, for the early paintings
produce tn greatest results. Tie pen is
hardy. The soil should be warm and light.
and the authorities agree TINT if the ground
has been manfred the year previous, results
are best. Indeed, We cannot too strongly
recommend fall mlnulmy. Nevertheless, We
have seen good result from clover sod
spring plowed, with the addition Of iurnyard
manure and supcrphOsphatus. The objection
to manuring in the spring is that thc pea,
run too much to straw. A chemist told Us
last year that his experience was that peas
got their best flavor from soil which contain
ed no strong mauures yet We tried lhus-
pilates and had the most delicious peas We
ever tasted The ground was however. fine
ly worked, while another plot, badly worked
and badly hood, produced nothing but weak
blossoms. On the successful plot VIC planted
peas which had been started in strata in old
boxes. IN boxes of strong loan, with Just Il
little artificial fertilizer, We placed two inches
of soil to a fair sprinklng Of peas, moistaning
each layer and then put the boxes near the
stove, occasionally sprinkling with tcpid wa
ter. In two or three days the peas had sprout-
cd a quarter of an inch. The soil in the gar
den was ready, and the boxes taken outside
were given shake against the ground the
peas were loosenud with their soil and by
sort of gentle screening between the fingers,
81 dN lOl " DEtth INC sprouts, INC IituN were
| tenderly planted in the rows and as teuderly
covered and slightly patted with the fiat Of
the hoe. They were above ground in thirty
six hours and produced fine crop. Market
| gardeners usually soak the seed for five or six
hours before planting il dry weather, and
usually the drills are watorcd Old celery land
is good for peas.
Harris recommends that it is best to plant
peas as soon as the ground is thawcd out
enough to cover them, say three or four inch-
| es. He also recommends artificial manure
at the rate Of tablespoonful to three table
| spoonfuls to the foot in the drill Two, ia
our opinion are abundant. The drills should
be about two and onc-half to three inch, s
| deep, and two or three feet apart For the
| tall varieties we find better success with
| double rows, so that the brush can he placed
between them. These double rows should be
six to eight inches apart. And do not forget
that peas need hooing. The bushiug should
| be done when they have grown about six
| inches high. As soon rs the peas are picked
the straw should be pulled, as it cXhnusts the
soil. 1t is a mistake to put of the planting
Of late peas. If planted with the carly ones
they will ripcn later any way but th.y may
| be planted late for succession. We have had
| Tia, early varieties in autumn after late ones
We're gone by planting late yet for ali late
crops we find nothing so good as the Champion
of England. To get succession of early
peas, plant say every three or four days to
two weeks, for two or three SUGGESTIONS. One
writer says that the people who have plenty
of the vegetable are those who plant by the
peck and not by the pint The rule is about
one and half bushels to the acre, in drills
but do not be afraid of a little more. Our
best success has come from paintings of a
| quarter of an inch apart many gardeners
might think this too close. BY the smaller
quantity it is generally considered that a quart
will SOW q hundred feet in the drill to a hun
dred and twenty; although Bliss says that OF
the larger sort quart will sow two hundred
feet. 1t is better to buy seed by the quart
than by the packet There are three dvs-
ions of seeds, extra early early, and late"
or general crop. The general crop is not
necessarily very late although peas may he
sown for fall picking OF very early sorts,
Waites Canctacus is growing in popularity,
and is delicate. Dan O'Rourlle is fine aud
profitable. For the South the Tom Thumb
is much used, and is dwarf. The Alpha was
our favorte last year; it is a new variety.
The early Kent is the old popular kind. The
Little Gem, however, is the most popular
very early bushy pea needing no brush 1t
is wrinkled and delicious; and We do not hes
itate to recommend il for n safe early seed.
We shall plant it extensively this year, at the
same time with the Alpha, which viii come a
few days earlier. Those who preftrthc plump
old varieties to the wriukled varieties need
not be influenced by our preference so that
they will not be behind the world if they plant
the sturdy old morrowfat for the general crop.
For field pea TO be used for feeding animals,
We know nothing better but even in the field
we should plant it in drills. The best of all
peas for the general crop is Acknowledged 10y
all who have sold or tasted it, to be the
Champion of England This we should plant
in large quantities. 1t is wrinkled its flavor
is sweet and delicious, and it bears profusely
Shorter than the marrowfat, it is plumper and
narrower in the well-flled pods. 1t grow,
high and must be brushed. If any of oul
readers should ask us what two varieties to
plant from we should say Little Gem for ear.
ly and Champions for general crops. Yet
those who wish for little earlier may try
Alpha or Waite's Caractacus.-N. y. HerdLd