Sweet Peas. 229 



red, we may start again in the first direction, towards a loss of 

 color. When both banner and wings become very light, as in 

 the Empress of India, we have a beautiful salmon, one of the 

 softest shades in the species. 



" While the greatest variations of the blossoms appear in the 

 color, there is also, though in a lesser degree, a variation in form. 

 One type spreads out a broad, rigid banner; another, more frag- 

 ile, folds its banner together slightly, while another bends it 

 backward. Still another class, perhaps the most remarkable, 

 folds over the lateral edges of its banner and forms a hood. The 

 student loves to contemplate the flower and attempt to construct 

 some hypothesis of the means by which these variations are 

 brought about. Here a delicate fibre has strengthened itself, 

 and holds a petal rigidly in place. In another flower the fibre is 

 less sturdy, and allows its banner to curl and plait itself. In 

 another a notch is taken from the side of the banner, weakening 

 the rigidity of the structure. Of necessity the edge then curls 

 forward and w^e have the hooded form. One can imagine a 

 change in color, too, by a cell losing or retaining its character- 

 istic pigment; and even in health there may come the deathly 

 purple which is always sure to appear as the blossom fades. 



" There are so many attractive varieties that it is difficult to 

 say which are the leading ones. If a flaming color is wanted, 

 one may choose the Apple Blossom, of the old pink and red type, 

 which surpasses all in brilliancy and uniformity of color. It 

 gives the prettiest mass to be found in all the varieties which we 

 have grown. Another form of the same type, the Improved 

 Painted Lady, combines much of the brilliancy of the Apple 

 Blossom with a softer and much more pleasing finish. It is also 

 earlier and more profuse in its bloom. The Empress of India 

 gives a delightful salmon which, in the beauty of its mass, ap- 

 proaches the Apple Blossom, and at the same time is one of the 

 prettiest varieties for cutting for single specimens. The Countess 

 of Radnor is an expression of a dark lilac color and a hooded 

 form. Notwithstanding its remarkable characteristics, it is by 

 no means a beautiful flower, because the color seems to lack 

 character. The Butterfly, of a much lighter type of azure, is 

 perhaps the most charming of all. It is pale lilac and delicate. 



