228 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



" Of Eckford's 1895 novelties, Blanche Burpee certainly takes 

 the lead. It is the finest white to date. While Emilv Henderson 

 may be considered a little purer in color, and, on account of its 

 free blooming habits, a better variety for florists, yet it does not 

 possess the size or gracefulness of the Blanche Burpee. The 

 stiffness or formality has always been against the Emily Hen- 

 derson. Eliza Eckford comes second in value of Eckford's 1895 

 novelties and possesses considerable merit, Mrs. Joseph Cham- 

 berlain is also a decided atquisition. Meteor is a decided im- 

 provement on Orange Prince, but will not be appreciated until 

 it is brought up to the grandiflora type. Duke of York, Novelty 

 and Duchess of York come next in order of value." 



A Student's Opinion of the Sweet Peas. 



Mr. Wyman, who has studied our sweet peas in the field day by 

 day, has given me the following impressions of their merits and 

 adaptabilities: "There is much to interest the careful observer 

 in the different types of sweet peas. In the flower only three col- 

 ors appear, white, red and blue, or rather purple, although the 

 bud is always yellow. While the habit of the plant is much the 

 same in all varieties, the various colors and forms of the blossoms 

 present a series of transitions throughout the species. One type, 

 represented by the Improved Painted Lady, seemingly the foun- 

 dation of many of the improved sorts, is widely known. It has 

 pink wings and a peculiar pink-reddish banner, upon both of 

 which numerous changes have been wrought. The pink wings 

 may become whiter and whiter, until only the slightest tinge of 

 pink is apparent, while the banner retains most of its lurid hue. 

 The type, on the other hand, may run to deep colors, the wings 

 pasing into purple and the banner also becoming darker. When 

 both banner and wings become strongly purple, another type is 

 obtained, of which Cardinal Wolseley is an example. Here the 

 banner is crimson and the wings maroon. The darkest and pur- 

 plest flowers belong to this class, and are, also, the least beau- 

 tiful. In other cases the flower retains the purple, but it as- 

 sumes a distinctly lighter cast. Still another form of the Painted 

 Lady type is a red-purple, blotched with lavender, like the Coun- 

 tess of Radnor. Going back to our original type of the pink and 



