almost invariably sow very early in the year under glass and in due
time transplant either from seed-pans or boxes. Of the two, properly
prepared boxes are usually found most convenient. The dimensions are
optional, but boxes about two feet long, one foot wide, and five inches
deep answer admirably. Several holes are perforated in the bottom to
insure efficient drainage. In every box place a thick layer of rotten
manure and then fill with thoroughly rich soil firmly pressed down,
leaving the surface quite smooth. One of the most successful growers
sows seed in rather small boxes early in January, and about the middle
of February the young Onions are pricked into boxes of the size we have
named. Only the finest and most promising seedlings are used. When
transferred, each Onion is allowed a space of three inches. The boxes
are kept in a greenhouse, as near the glass as possible, in a
temperature of about 50°. After sowing, very little water is given; but
when transplanted, finish with a sprinkling from a fine rose. Every
morning the plants will require spraying, but this must never be done
at night or damping off may follow. All through their time in the
greenhouse it is important to keep the boxes near the glass. Towards
the end of March remove to cold frames, keeping the lights rather close
for a few days, but gradually giving more air until the lights can be
taken off for a short time daily.
In the south, about the middle of April is generally a suitable time
for transplanting to open beds, but in the event of a cold east wind
prevailing a brief delay is advisable and it is always an advantage to
plant out on a dull day or in showery weather. Space the rows twelve to
eighteen inches apart, and allow about fifteen inches between plants in
the rows. In the actual work of transplanting take care to insert only
the fibrous roots in the soil. To bury any portion of the stem results
in thickened necks. Finish with a dusting of soot over the entire bed,
including the Onions, and then well spray from a fine rose to settle
the soil around the roots. Until the plants are established continue
the spraying daily. After the middle of May renew the dusting of the
bed with soot and repeat at fortnightly intervals. About the 20th of
June feeding the Onions must commence. Peruvian guano and nitrate of
soda are both excellent, but these powerful artificials need using with
discretion, or the crop may be scorched instead of stimulated. It is
often safer to employ them in liquid form than dry, and ten ounces of
either, dissolved in ten gallons of water, will suffice for thirty
square yards. Use the two articles alternately at intervals of ten days
and cease at the end of July. If continued longer, some of the finest
bulbs will split. The use of soot can, however, be regularly
maintained. Should bulbs be required for autumn exhibition carefully
lift them a week or ten days in advance of the show date. This has the
effect of making the bulbs firm and reducing the size of the necks.
Supposing an attack of mildew to occur, a dusting of flowers of sulphur
will prove effective if applied immediately the disease appears.
Sulphide of potassium, one ounce to a gallon of water, is also a
reliable remedy.
July and August Sowing.—During these months seed of the quick-growing
types of Onion may be sown for producing an abundant supply of salading
and small bulbs during the autumn and onwards. It is important to thin
the plants early in order that those left standing in the rows may have
every opportunity of developing rapidly.
Autumn-sown Onions, intended for use in the following summer, may also
be sown in the same way as advised for spring sowing. The time of
sowing is important, as the plants should be forward enough before
winter to be useful, but not so forward as to be in danger of injury
from severe frost. On well-drained ground all the sorts are hardy, and
the finest types, which are so much prized as household and market
Onions, may be sown in autumn as safely as any others. It may be well
in most places to sow a small plot: in the latter part of July, and to
make a large sowing of the best keeping sorts about the middle of
August—say, for the far north the first of the month, and for the far
south the very last day. Thin the plants in the rows and transplant the
thinnings, if required, as soon as weather permits in February. In
places where spring-sown Onions do not ripen in good time in
consequence of cold wet weather, autumn sowing may prove advantageous,
as the ripening will take place when the summer is at its best, and the
crop may be taken off before the season breaks down.
Pickling Onions may be obtained by sowing any of the white or
straw-coloured varieties that are grown for keeping, but the large
sorts are quite unfit; the best are the Queen and Paris Silver-skin, as
they are very white when pickled and are moderately mild in flavour. A
piece of poor dry ground should be selected and made fine on the
surface. Sow in the month of April thickly, but evenly, cover lightly,
and roll or tread to give a firm seed-bed, and make a good finish. Be
careful to keep down weeds, and do not thin the crop at all. If sown
very shallow the bulbs will be round: if sown an inch deep they will be
oval or pear-shaped.
The Potato or Underground Onion is not much grown in this country, in
consequence of occasional losses of the crop in severe winters. In the
South of England the rule as to growing it is to plant on the shortest
day, and take up on the longest. It requires a rich, deep soil, and to
be planted in rows twelve inches apart, the bulbs nine inches apart in
the row. Some cultivators earth them up like Potatoes, but we prefer to
let the bulbs rise into the light, even by the removal of the earth, so
as to form a basin around each, taking care, of course, not to lay bare
the roots in so doing. When the planted bulbs have put forth a good
head of leaves, they form clusters of bulbs around them, and the best
growth is made in full daylight, the bulbs sitting on and not in the
soil.
The Onion Grub (_Phorbia cepetorum_) is often very troublesome to the
crop, especially in its early stages, and its presence may be known by
the grass becoming yellow and falling on the ground. It will then be
found that the white portion, which should become the bulb, has been
pierced to the centre by a fleshy, shining maggot, a quarter of an inch
in length, this being the larva of an ashy-coloured, ill-looking,
two-winged fly. Where this plague has acquired such a hold as to be a
serious nuisance, care should be taken to clear out all the old store
of Onions instantly upon a sufficiency of young Onions becoming
available in spring, and to burn them without hesitation. If left to
become garden waste in the usual way, these old Onions do much to
perpetuate and augment the plague. A regular use of lime and soot will
be found an effectual preventive. Other remedies are suggested in the
article on Onion Fly, Page 420.
PARSLEY—_see_ HERBS, _page_ 68
PARSNIP
Pastinaca sativa
The Parsnip is one of the most profitable roots the earth produces.
Probably its sweet flavour imposes a limit on its usefulness, but bad
cooking doubtless has much to answer for, the people in our great towns
being, in too many instances, quite ignorant of the proper mode of
cooking this nourishing root. When cut in strips, slightly boiled and
served up almost crisp, it is a poor article for human food; but when
cooked whole in such a way as to appear on the table like a mass of
marrow, it is at once a digestible dainty and a substantial food that
the people might consume more largely than they do, to their advantage.
The Parsnip requires only one special condition for its welfare, and
that is a piece of ground prepared for it by honest digging. Rich
ground it does not need, but the crop will certainly be the finer from
a deep fertile sandy loam than from a poor soil of any kind. But the
one great point is to trench the ground in autumn and lay it up rough
for the winter. Then at the very first opportunity in February or March
it can be levelled down and the seed sown, and the task got out of hand
before the rush of spring work comes on. A fine seed-bed should be
prepared either in one large piece or in four-feet strips, as may best
suit other arrangements. Sow in shallow drills eighteen inches apart,
dropping the seeds from the hand in twos and threes at a distance of
six inches apart; cover lightly, and touch over with the hoe or rake to
make a neat finish. As soon as the plants are visible, ply the hoe to
keep down weeds and thin the crop slightly to prevent crowding
anywhere. The thinning should be carried on from time to time until the
plants are a foot apart; or if the ground is strong and large roots are
required, they may be allowed fifteen inches. Good-quality roots may be
grown on the worst types of clay and on stony soils by boring holes and
filling them in with fine earth, in the manner described for Beet and
Carrot. The holes for Parsnip, however, should be rather larger and
deeper, with more space allowed between. It may be well to lift some of
the roots in November, a few spits of earth being removed first at one
end or corner of the piece to facilitate removal without breaking the
roots: these may be put aside for immediate use, but the general bulk
of the crop should remain in the ground to be dug as wanted, because
the Parsnip keeps better in the ground than out of it, and in the event
of severe frost a coat of rough litter will suffice to prevent injury.
Whatever remains over in the month of February should be lifted and
trimmed up and stored in the coolest place that can be found, a coat of
earth or sand being sufficient to protect the roots from the injurious
action of the atmosphere.
GARDEN PEA
Pisum sativum
Thanks to the skill and enterprise of enthusiastic specialists, we have
now the wrinkled as well as the round-seeded Peas for the earliest
supply of this favourite vegetable. Not only can we commence the season
with a dish possessing the true marrowfat flavour, but in the new
maincrop varieties dwarf robust growth is combined with free-bearing
qualities, while the size of both Peas and pods has been increased
without in the smallest degree sacrificing flavour. On the contrary,
there has been a distinct and welcome advance in all the special
characteristics which have won for this vegetable its popular position,
and so highly is the crop esteemed that it is usually regarded as a
criterion by which the general management of a garden is judged.
As an article of food Peas are the most nutritious of all vegetables,
rich in phosphates and alkalies, and the plant makes a heavy demand on
the soil, constituting what is termed an exhausting crop. For this
reason, and also because the time that elapses between sowing seed and
gathering the produce is very brief, it is imperative that the land
should be well prepared to enable the roots to ramify freely and
rapidly collect the food required by the plant.
Treatment of Soil.—The soil for Peas must be rich, deep, and friable,
and should contain a notable proportion of calcareous matter. Old
gardens need to be refreshed with a dressing of lime occasionally, or
of lime rubbish from destroyed buildings, to compensate for the
consumption of calcareous matters by the various crops. For early Peas,
a warm dry sandy soil is to be preferred; for late sorts, and
especially for robust and productive varieties, a strong loam or a
well-tilled clay answers admirably, and it is wise to select plots that
were in the previous year occupied with Celery and other crops for
which the land was freely manured and much knocked about. Heavy
manuring is not needed for the earliest Peas, unless the soil is very
poor, but for the late supplies it will always pay to trench the
ground, and put a thick layer of rotten manure at the depth of the
first spit, in which the roots can find abundant nutriment about the
time when the pods are swelling. In all cases it is advisable not to
enrich in any special manner the top crust for Peas. When the young
plant finds the necessary supplies near at hand, the roots do not run
freely but are actually in danger of being poisoned; but when the plant
is fairly formed, and has entered upon the fruiting stage, the roots
may ramify in rich soil to advantage. Hence the desirability of growing
Peas in ground that was heavily manured and frequently stirred in the
previous year, and of putting a coat of rotten manure between the two
spits in trenching. As regards the last-named operation, it should be
remarked that as Peas require a somewhat fine tilth, the top spit
should be kept on the top where the second spit will prove lumpy,
pasty, or otherwise unkind. In this case bastard trenching will be
sufficient; but when the second spit may be brought up with safety, it
should be done for the sake of a fresh soil and a deep friable bed. The
use of wood ashes, well raked in immediately in advance of sowing, will
prove highly beneficial to the crop, for the Pea is a potash-loving
plant.
Method of Sowing.—It will always pay to sow in flat drills about six
inches wide, but the V-shaped drill in which the seedlings are
generally crowded injuriously is not satisfactory. Two inches apart
each way is a useful distance for the seed, although more space may be
given for the robust-growing maincrop and late varieties. It is wise
policy, however, to sow liberally in case of losses through climatic
conditions, birds or mice; and if necessary superfluous plants can
always be withdrawn. The depth for the seed may vary from two to three
inches: the minimum for heavy ground and the maximum for light land.
Early Crops (sown outdoors).—Early Peas are produced in many ways. The
simplest consists in sowing one or more of the quick-growing
round-seeded varieties in November, December, and January, on sloping
sheltered borders expressly prepared for the purpose, and provided with
reed hurdles to screen the plants from cutting winds. Where the
assaults of mice are to be apprehended, it is an excellent plan to soak
the seed in paraffin oil for twenty minutes, and then, having sown in
drills only one inch deep, heap over the drill three inches of fine
sand. If this cannot be done, sow in drills fully two inches deep, for
shallow sowing will not promote earliness, but it is likely to promote
weakness of the plant. It is not usual to grow any other crop with
first-early Peas, but the rows must be far enough apart to prevent them
from shading one another, and, if possible, let them run north and
south, that they may have an equable enjoyment of sunshine. As soon as
the plant is fairly out of the ground, dust carefully with soot, not
enough to choke the tender leaves, but just sufficient to render them
unpalatable to vermin. When they have made a growth of about three
inches, put short brushwood to support and shelter them, deferring the
taller sticks until they are required. Then fork the ground between,
taking care not to go too near to the plant. Sticks must be provided in
good time, lest the plant should be distressed, for not only do the
sticks give needful support, but they afford much shelter, as is the
case with the small brushwood supplied in the first instance.
On fairly warm soils the first opportunity should be taken to sow one
of the early dwarf marrowfat varieties in the open ground. This may be
in February or early March, but it will be useless to make the attempt
until the ground is in a suitable condition. Sow in flat drills as
already described, the distance from row to row depending upon future
plans. If no intercropping is to be done, eighteen inches between the
rows will generally suffice for dwarf-growing Peas, but many gardeners
prefer to allow three feet and to take a crop of Spinach on the
intervening space.
Early Crops (sown under glass.)—We now come to the modes of growing
early Peas by the aid of glass. The surest and simplest method is to
provide a sufficiency of grass turf cut from a short clean pasture or
common. There is in this case a risk of wireworm and black bot; but if
the turf is provided in good time and is laid up in the yard ready for
use, it will be searched by the small birds and pretty well cleansed of
the insect larvas that may have lurked in it when first removed. Lay
the turves out in a frame, grass side downwards, and give them a
soaking with water in which a very small quantity of salt has been
dissolved. This will cause the remaining bots and slugs to wriggle out,
and by means of a little patient labour they can be gathered and
destroyed. In January or February sow the seed rather thickly in lines
along the centre of each strip of turf, and cover with fine earth. By
keeping the frame closed a more regular sprouting of the seed will be
insured; but as soon as the plants rise, air must be given, and this
part of the business needs to be regulated in accordance with the
weather. All now depends on the cultivator, for, having a very large
command of conditions, it may be said that he is removed somewhat from
the sport of the elements, which wrecks many of our endeavours. There
are now three points to be kept in mind. In the first place, a short
stout slow-growing plant is wanted, for a tall lean fast-growing plant
will at the end of the story refuse to furnish the dish of Peas aimed
at. Give air and water judiciously, and protect from vermin and all
other enemies. A little dry lime or soot may be dusted over the plants
occasionally, but not sufficient to choke the leaves. All going well,
plant out in the month of March or April, on ground prepared for the
purpose, and laying the plant-bearing turves in strips, without any
disturbance whatever of the roots. Then earth them up with fine stuff
from between the rows, and put sticks to support and shelter them.
A more troublesome, but often a safer method, is to raise plants in
pots, or in boxes about four and a half inches deep and pierced at the
bottom to insure free drainage. Old potting soil will answer admirably,
and the seeds should be put in one inch deep and two inches apart.
Place the pots or boxes in any light cool structure as near the
roof-glass as possible, but make no attempt to force either germination
or the growth of the plants. When fair weather permits, transfer to the
open in March or April. A good succession may be obtained by sowing a
first-early dwarf variety and a second-early kind simultaneously.
Main crops require plenty of room, and that is really the chief point
in growing them. Supposing the ground has been well prepared as already
advised, the next matter of importance is the distance between the
rows. The market gardener is usually under some kind of compulsion to
sow Peas in solid pieces, just far enough apart for fair growth, and to
leave them to sprawl instead of being staked, because of the cost of
the proceeding. But the garden that supplies a household is not subject
to the severe conditions of competition, and Peas may be said to go to
the dinner table at retail and not at wholesale price. Moreover, high
quality is of importance, and here the domestic as distinguished from
the commercial gardener has an immense advantage, for well-grown
‘Garden Peas’ surpass in beauty and flavour the best market samples
procurable. To produce these fine Peas there must be plenty of space
allowed between the rows, and it will be found good practice to grow
Peas and early Potatoes on the same plot, and to put short sticks to
the Peas as soon as they are forward enough. By this management the
first top-growth of the Potatoes may be saved from late May frosts, and
the Peas will give double the crop of a crowded plantation. The general
sowings of Peas are made from March to June, but as regards the precise
time, seasons and climates must be considered. Nothing is gained by
sowing maincrop Peas so early as to subject the plant to a conflict
with frost. It should be understood that the finest sorts of Peas are
somewhat tender in constitution, and the wrinkled sorts are more tender
than the round. Hence, in any case, the wrinkled seeds should be sown
rather more thickly than the round to allow for losses; but
robust-habited Peas should never be sown so thickly as the early sorts,
for every plant needs room to branch and spread, and gather sunshine by
means of its leaves for the ultimate production of superb Green Peas.
Late Crops.—To obtain Peas late in the season sowings may be made in
June and July, and preference should be given to quick-growing early
varieties. Ground from which early crops of Cauliflower, Carrot,
Cabbage, Potatoes, &c., have been removed is excellent for the purpose.
In dry weather thoroughly saturate the trench with water before sowing,
and keep the seedlings as cool as possible by screening them from the
sun.
Staking.—This important operation must not be unduly deferred, as the
plants are never wholly satisfactory when once the stems have become
bent. Commence by carefully earthing up the rows as soon as the plants
are about three inches high. In the case of early varieties, light
bushy sticks of the required height, thinly placed on both sides of the
row, will suffice. Maincrop and late Peas, however, should first be
staked with bushy twigs about eighteen inches high, these to be
supplemented with sticks at least one foot taller than the variety
apparently needs, as most Peas exceed their recognised height in the
event of a wet season. No attempt should be made to construct an
impenetrable fence, for Peas need abundance of light and air. Neither
should the stakes be arched at the top, but placed leaning outwards.
General Cultivation.—On the first appearance of the plant, a slight
dusting of lime or soot will render the rising buds distasteful to
slugs and sparrows, but this is more needful for the early than the
later crops. When maincrop Peas have grown two or three inches, they
are pretty safe against the small marauders. As the plant develops,
frequently stir the ground between the rows to keep down weeds and
check evaporation. The earthing up of the rows affords valuable
protection to the roots of the plants, and a light mulch of thoroughly
decayed manure will prove very helpful in a dry season. In the event of
prolonged dry weather, however, measures must be taken to supply water
in good time and in liberal quantity. The advantage of deep digging and
manuring between the two spits will now be discovered, for Peas thus
circumstanced will pass through the trial, even if not aided by water,
although much better with it; whereas similar sorts, in poor shallow
ground, will soon become hopelessly mildewed, and not even water will
save them. In giving water, it will be well to open a shallow trench,
distant about a foot from the rows on the shady side, and in this pour
the water so as to fill the trench; by this method water and labour
will be economised, and the plant will have the full benefit of the
operation.
The enemies Of Peas are fewer in number than might be expected in the
case of so nutritive a plant. Against the weevil, the moth, and the
fly, we are comparatively powerless, and perhaps the safest course is
occasionally to dust the plants with lime or soot, in which case the
work must be carefully done, or the leaf growth will be checked, to the
injury of the crop. Light dustings will suffice to render the plant
unpalatable without interfering with its health, but a heavy careless
hand will do more harm than all the insects by loading the leafage with
obnoxious matter. The great enemy of the Pea crop is the sparrow, whose
depredations begin with the appearance of the plant, and are renewed
from the moment when the pods contain something worth having. Other
small birds haunt the ground, but the sparrow is the leader of the
gang. Ordinary frighteners used in the ordinary way are of little use;
the best are lines, to which at intervals white feathers, or strips of
white paper, or pieces of bright tin are attached. In the seedling
stage the plants may be protected by wire guards, and even strands of
black thread tied to short stakes will prove serviceable. We have found
the surest way to guard the crop against feathered plunderers is to
have work in hand on the plot, so as to keep up a constant bustle, and
this shows the wisdom of putting the rows at such a distance as will
allow the formation of Celery trenches between them. We want a crop to
come off, and another to be put on while the Peas are in bearing; and
early Potatoes, to be followed by Celery, may be suggested as a
rotation suitable in many instances. Even then the birds will have a
good time of it in the morning, unless the workmen are on the ground
early. However, on this delicate point, the ‘early bird’ that carries a
spade will have an advantage, because the sparrow is really a late
riser, and does not begin business until other birds have had
breakfast, and have finished at least one musical performance.