August 15, 190S 



HORTICULTURE 



213 



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New Sweet Pea — Burpee's 



| EARLIEST WHITE | 



RllltlAP C I* Slfll^&f' Wf r>lj"f^ come* into full bloom in forty-five days after the seed is 5 



= IVU1 [JCC » Liai 11C81 Tl llltC planted in tkt open ground. The dwaif plants, sixteen to = 



— twenty inctes h gh, are clad in rich dark-green foliage and carry a profusion of the pure while flowers borne upon 



= strong stems sin to eight inches long. Each stem his two or three of the fully expanded well-formed flowers, of good 5 



— size and placed close together. 



2 From seed planted on May iStk Burpee's Earliest White wa> in full bloom on July ist, while Mont Blan. , g 



■j planted the same day, was showing only a few buds. It is also wondrously profuse-flowering. — 



Burpee's Earliest White 



is not only as extremely early but also just as hardy as tbe 

 famous pink-and-white Burpee's Earliest of All. It has 



black seed, — and is really the only clear white Sweet Pea that has! This insures a better stand, stronger and more 



thrifty \ lants. 



2956 Burpee's Earliest White 



is not only the rev Hesl white in the open ground but is 



begin to bloom freely when only twelve inches high and continue to grow and flower profusely until, when six or eight 

 feet tall, they reach the top of the greenhouse; the plants can then be cut back, if desired, and will make an equally 

 vigorous second growth. Per pkt. 10 cts.; per oz. 20 ct».; % lb. 60 cts. ; per lb. $2.00. 



tS~ If you have not received Burpee's Blue List for 1908 (Wholesale Price List for Market Gardeners and Florists), 

 you should write for a copy. This catalogue, from cover to cover, is full of information of interest to all planters 

 of seed. 



|W. ATLEE BURPEE & CO. | 



| Philadelphia, Pa. 



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flower but not bright enough to ever 

 become very popular; Flora Norton 

 Spencer, a little smaller than the 

 other varieties, with a little more 

 purple in the standard than appears in 

 the ordinary type; Senator Spencer for 

 a striped variety is quite good, while 

 Ramona Spencer shows up most beau- 

 tifully 



Burpee & Company, it the crops now 

 turn out as anticipated, expect to in- 

 troduce to the trade — King Edward 

 Spencer, the standard brighter than 

 the older variety and the wings a 

 shade lighter but the effect in fresh 

 blooms is that of a self-colored scarlet. 

 The enormous flowers are borne three 

 or four to a spray. Black-seeded 

 Primrose Spencer, as it is labeled here, 

 will be introduced as Queen Victoria 

 Spencer the intention being to hold as 

 closely as possible to the older grandi- 

 flora names and use simply the word 

 "Spencer" to designate the type as 

 these newer varieties are put on the 

 market. We cannot recollect having 

 seen anything quite so handsome as 

 the flowers produced by the sample 

 bearing the name of Buff Pink Spencer 

 and which at the request of the grower 

 will be introduced under the name of 

 Mrs. Rout/ahn Spencer. This variety 

 has a distinctly buff or apricot ground 

 suffused with light pink which, as the 

 flowers mature becomes deeper at the 

 edge of the standard and wings giving 

 it somewhat of a picotee edge effect. 

 Messrs. Burpee & Company also expect 

 to introduce Aurora Spencer and 

 Othello Spencer but not to the trade. 



Of the newer Grandiflora types 

 there is Prince Olaf in some respects 



similar to Unique, the blue and white 

 stripings a bit more prominent; Miss 

 Mille Maslin is of the hooded grandi- 

 flora type and there are usually three 

 flowers on quite a long stem. The 

 color is difficult to describe, a deep 

 rosy crimson self; an altogether pecu- 

 liar and unique shade. Herbert Smith, 

 a new orange-colored variety is not 

 needed as St. George is vastly super- 

 ior. Sutton's Queen is primrose edged 

 with delicate pink, but like many 

 other Spencers is of a "sportive" 

 character. Phenomenal while not 

 strictly new, is but little known, bears 

 pure white flowers faintly suffused 

 with pink and beautifully edged with 

 purple, similar in effect to Lottie Eck- 

 ford and Maid of Honor hut larger and 

 of more open form. 



In the Unwin class there is Gladys 

 Unwin, light pink; Phyllis Unwin, 

 rose; Mrs. Alfred Watkins, deep pink; 

 Nora Unwin, white; E. J. Castle, car- 

 mine rose; Frank Dolby, light laven- 

 der; all very handsome but the flowers 

 are smaller than those of the Spencer 

 type. Etta Dyke upon trial here seems 

 to be quite similar to Burpee's White 

 Spencer but shows quite a distinct 

 green tinge in the bud. Purity is also 

 similar but here is not so good. 



After carefully going over these 

 trials we are inclined to the opinion 

 that although both the Spencer and 

 Unwin types are not yet thoroughly 

 fixed the percentages of the true type 

 are such as to warrant planters gen- 

 erally becoming interested and to have 

 a little patience with the growers as 

 sooner or later the types will be fixed 

 as firmly as are the older grandiflora 



varieties. At the end of the trials we 

 find the samples of the so-called 

 Double varieties, which Burpee & Com- 

 pany do not offer at retail but simply 

 carry to accommodate wholesale cus- 

 tomers, and the Bush and Cupid varie- 

 ties which, while having a place of 

 their own, the writer thinks will never 

 become so popular as have the Grandi- 

 flora and as will the Spencer and 

 Unwin types. 



In the foregoing notes I am largely 

 indebted to Howard M. Earl the 

 manager, not only for courtesies ex- 

 tended but for the ideas and judg- 

 ments on varieties which he is always 

 ready to give frankly and freely and 

 no man has a wider experience in this 

 particular line. 



GEORGE C. WATSON. 



NOVELTIES IN PROSPECT. 



The committee of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society and several other 

 invited guests visited the nurseries of 

 R. & J. Farquhar & Co., at Roslindale, 

 Mass., on July 31. The principal ob- 

 ject was to inspect the fields of new 

 lilies now beginning to bloom from 

 bulbs sent by Collector Wilson from 

 northern China, Types of Myriophyl- 

 lum, Brownii and Henryii are now in 

 flower and a number of distinct spe- 

 cies are in bud. The committee will 

 make a later visit. The frames filled 

 with young plants from seed sent over 

 by Mr. Wilson were examined with 

 great interest by the visitors. A gen- 

 eral inspection of this well-appointed 

 nursery followed and the visitors were 

 entertained at lunch by Messrs. Far- 

 quhar. 



