The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-15

water at time, so probe down and be
sure that you have wet the soil clear to
the bottom of the box. Then do not water
again Auntil the soil is dry. The aim
should be to keep thes oil moist, not wet.
This applies to most other plants as we'll.
When the time for transplanting comes,
remove a board on one side of the box,
break away a large clump Of plants, with
out inluring the roots, first, if necessary,
carefully inserting a Ratchet under them
to loosen them from the box, and shake
the earth from the roots. Cut of third
of She length of branch growth and a
third of the length of the roots. This
will Very much increase root growth and
the number Of top branches, which will
mean many more blossoms, besides has
tening the growth Of the plant. Keep the
roots covered with moist earth until they
are transferred to the ground.
We are now ready for transplanting.
Probably YOU think this transplanting
will mean great deal of work. No, in
deed! Quick fingers carry 1t on very fast.
With some one 10 help me, l stransplanted
1000 plants in a day easily. To trans
plant, make holes with a broomstick,
deep as the distance from the end of the
root to the first leaf. These holes should
not be less than three inches apart. The
reason most people have such puny, weak
plants is that they do not give them room
enough. A plant gets Its energy, Its
power to make roots. leaves. blossoms,
from the sunshine. If you stint it of sun
shine, by close planting, 1t will surely be
weak. Do not double the root when you
place it in the hole, fill in the earth and
run fiat stick obliquely down toward the
plant, as deep as the ends of the roots,
then push the top of the stick toward
the plant and finish by pressing the earth
down hard, all around, with your fingers.
These last two steps are to insure the
filling of the hole to the bottom. If 1t Is
not filled and the roots are left bare, the
plant will die. The plant should be
planted to the depth of the first leaf, no
deeper. Deep planting, either in trans
planting or sowing is not good for sweet
peas, it causes them to blight and die.
Two rows may he planted in one trench,
about three inches apart. Late in the af-
ternoon, when the hot sun will not burn
the wet leaves, give the transplanted
plants a good watering one that will soak
the ground down where the ends of the
roots are.
The old fashioned pink and white sweet
peas thrive as we'll sown outside as trans
planted. Sow the seed about an inch
apart to allow for the cutWorms' depreda
tions and cover it two inches deep, press
ing the soil down firmly. If the cut
worms are legion in your garden, sow it
thicker. Later, when that danger is past,
tulu OuC Cue p1duIS W CuIeo AACuSS dPd1 !.
Glover, freshly cut and dipped in a pail
Of water into which has been stirred
tablespoon of paris green, and strewn
fresha in the evening, along the row of
sweet peas, is said to kill the cutworms.
The water must be stirred we'll to keep
the paris green from sinking to the bot
tom. Repeat as often as necessary.
White seeded sweet peas, like Blanche
Burpee, are apt to decay instead Of ger
minating. 1t is best to put them in a
MANILA paper bag and bury them in moist
earth for a week before planting them.
This method would hasten the germ1na-
ton of all sweet peas soWn outside, and
with our late spring that is an advantage.
The dark seeded kinds could be put into
the earth without the covering, if their
skins are too thick for them to absorb
moisture through the paper. have
never experimental with them and do not
know how that would be. The old-fash-
toned way of soaking seed over night is
declared bad by some, but this is natures
own way of working.
The rows that are soWn should not be
watered unless the ground is really dry
and none of the rows should be watered
again until June unless the soil becomes
dry down below the surface. Spring is
the conforming time and that process
is best accomplished in dryer soil. After
June has come l give mine thorough
watering WueueVei Tic Sui SeIS III on
top; not oftener, letting the hose run
full force in the trench forty-five min
utes for a row a hundred feet long. A
surface wetting would do no good. It is
a poor plan to water at set times, as
every night. Watch the soil and regulate
the water given by it's needs.
If you cultivate your, sweet peas, be
very careful not to cut the roots. Only
the young roots absorb the plants nour-
ishment and their injury cripples the
plant. Use your fingers as much as you
can to loosen the soil, aided by fork
when necessary. Cultivate when the soil
is moist and the danger to the roots Is
less. Cultivation should end when the
buds form.
The best fertilizer for sweet peas is
cow manure. Wood ashes, hard or soft,
you may use at the rate of a pailful to a
hundred feet of row; bone meal applied
the previous fall is also good, but other
fertilizers than these three should let
alone. Neither the ashes nor the manure
should be applied until the buds begin
to come. The COW manure should be fresh
and spread in thin layer up the two
sides of the trench not nearer than three
or four inches from the vines. 1t should
be put on In the evening, when the ground
is dry on top, and three or four inches
of water should then be given, washing
down little manure to the bottom Of the
trench then and little more at each sue
be applied every month or two, but the
ashes should be given only twice, when
the buds begin to appear and in the fall
The ashes should be washed from the
vines with the hose, sprayed, before the