In the Garden
Modern garden experts begin to urge earlier and earlier sowings of both flowers and vegetables. We are advised to sow peas (whether for the flower or the fruit) in January, if we did not take advantage of October and November. Success in such early sowing probably depends chiefly on the warmth of the soil. One old country gardener habitually sows his few early seeds on the site of a bonfire, which supplies warmth, manure and a friable surface. The ground can, of course, be warmed by any covering, whether of glass or straw, and cloches may be useful before the seed is sown as after. For every reason dwarf varieties are recom- mended. Almost all expert gardeners have a sort of craze for earliness, which derives probably from the higher prices then procurable ; but with regard to flowers, especially sweet peas, they are most desirable, to many of us as late as maybe, when the herbaceous plants begin to go off. However, this January, itself full of untimely blossom, tempts anyone
to anticipate the normal sowing season. W. BEACH THOMAS.
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