Culture of the Sweet Pea 697 



dwarf sweet peas 



The dwarf, or cupid, sweet peas are varieties that grow only five to 

 eight inches high, with a spread of twelve to fifteen inches in diameter. 

 The prociimbent stems are stout, vigorous, short, jointed, and freely- 

 branching. The foliage is a deep green. The leaflets are small and the 

 tendrils short. The flowers, which are of the size of those of the tall 

 varieties, are borne, two or three in number, on short stems three or four 

 inches in length. 



The dwarfing has been accomplished by an extreme reduction in length 

 of the intemodes, for an examination of the plants reveals the fact that 

 they have as many intemodes as, or more than, the tall type. 



The cupid sweet peas originated in 1893 at Santa Clara, Cal., on the 

 grounds of C. C. Morse & Co., the largest growers of sweet pea seed. 

 The plant was found growing among plants of the tall-growing variety, 

 Emily Henderson. Naturally, this remarkable sport was preserved 

 and its dwarf character proved to be so fixed that it is recorded that when 

 Messrs. Morse grew seven acres of this novelty, in 1895, none of the plants 

 reverted to the normal climbing type. 



W. Atlee Burpee purchased the variety in 1894 and had it grown in 

 England by James Douglas, where in June, 1895, it was exhibited before 

 the Royal Hortictiltiu-al Society and was given, by unanimous vote of 

 the committee, an award of merit. The same year it was given an award 

 of merit by the National Horticultural Society of France. 



In Burpee's circular to the trade, Jiily, 1895, this white-flowered variety 

 was described It is a singular fact that but for this trade announcement 

 a similar dwarf form would have been offered by Ernest Benary, of Erfurt, 

 Germany, in 1896 or 1897, probably under the name of Tom Thumb 

 White. It was such a complete description of his variety that the simi- 

 larity was recognized and Mr. Benary published in his catalog the name 

 of his novelty as a synonym of Cupid, thus preventing confusion. 



In 1895 a similar dwarf appeared on the grounds of Henry Eckford at 

 Wem, England. There is also some evidence that a similar form was 

 found in 1895 among plants of the Old White grown in southern France. 



This remarkable instance of synchronistic variation appeared in three 

 or four widely separated localities within a period of two years. Singularly 

 enough, so far as known, all these dwarfs had white flowers and white 

 seeds and developed among white varieties.* 



This novelty attracted considerable attention everywhere, especially 

 among sweet pea lovers, and was offered to the public in 1896. Un- 

 fortunately Cupid, afterward known as White Cupid, the forerunner of 



* A notable and somewhat similar case was the appearance of the dwarf lima beans, but here we find 

 the origin extending over a period of twenty years and the varieties are simultaneous only in the date 

 of introduction. Moreover, we have very distinct varieties originating from very distinct climbing vari- 

 eties of lima beans of two species. 



