PROTECT LATE PEAS

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 840, 7 December 1929, Page 34

PROTECT LATE PEAS

The produce from late-sown peas is usually so excellent that it is worth giving the crop a little extra attention. The two chief difficulties with which these peas have to contend are j drought and mildew. To an extent, watering will combat dryness, but a far better plan is to resort to niulclii ing. A good layer of any material like straw manure or lawn clippings j should be placed along each side of , the rows, and this should be about 15 inches wide. Before placing the mulch, fork the ground lightly, and unless there has been rain recently, give the soil a good soaking. After the placing of the mulch, the moisture will be sufficiently conserved in the soil to enable the plants to develop and mature the crop. Mildew should be treated at the first sign of its appearance, as the trouble will spread rapidly, with disastrous effects One way of dealing with the attack is to dust the plants well with flowers of sulphur just before sundown or in the morning, before the dew has dried from the foliage. A more certain way is to spray the pea plants with a solution formed by adding loz of sulphide of potassium to three gallons of water.