240 



HOBTICULTUKE 



August 17, 1912 



SWEET PEAS IN 1912 



(Notes from Burpee's Trial Grounds at Fordhook, by George W. Kerr.) 



This must certainly he termed a 

 sweet pea year, at least so far as this 

 section is concerned. We have had 

 sweet peas in flower from early May 

 and even in spite of the extreme heat 

 and drought experienced during the 

 early part of July, the vines are still 

 flowering freely; this being, no doubt, 

 due to the moisture and rather cool 

 weather which has prevailed for the 

 last two weeks or so. 



The first varieties to flower with us 

 were our new seedling early or winter- 

 flowering Spencers. I have been 

 working on this new type for the past 

 few years, and now have them in prac- 

 tically all the colors found in the 

 Spencer section.. It may be of interest 

 to sweet pea growers to know that 

 the seed-bearing parents of these new 

 early-flowering Spencers were the 

 original winter-flowering Grandifloras, 

 namely, Burpee's Earliest of All (the 

 original Christmas Pink), Earliest 

 White, Burpee's Re-Selected Earliest 

 of All and Earliest-Sunbeams. 



Had it not been that I had a slight 

 knowledge of Mendel's laws, I am 

 afraid that I would not yet have had 

 this interesting, and I trust valuable, 

 new race of sweet peas, as in the first 

 generation the seedlings were any- 

 thing but promising. However, the 

 full history with dates, parentage, etc., 

 will make a story of its own at some 

 future time. 



Coming back to the regular type of 

 Spencers, among the many novelties 

 tried this year (1-50 or more) there 

 were certainly some distinct breaks 

 in color and in fact more really good 

 things than are generally introduced 

 in one season; this being, doubtless, 

 due to the increased interest now 

 taken in this beautiful annual. 

 Among those that were particularly 

 striking might be mentioned After- 

 glow, Dorothy and Prince George (the 

 color combinations in these varieties 

 being quite distinct to anything hith- 

 erto seen in sweet peas), and with 

 Charles Foster sent out by the same 

 raiser last year, might be termed 

 pastel shade varieties. I observe that 

 the National Sweet Pea Society of 

 England have classified them among 

 the Fancies. 



Edith Taylor was decidedly one of, 

 if not the gem of this season's intro- 

 ductions. The flowers are of immense 

 size, the color a distinct shade of rose. 

 Frances Deal, color rosy heliotrope, 

 quite distinct from all others of this 

 shade. Barbara is somewhat in the way 

 of Earl Spencer but a more pleasing 

 shade of salmon and a much larger 

 flower — Melba being practically syn- 

 onymous. Both are strong growers 

 and will certainly be wanted by those 

 who like this color. The improved 

 strain of Thomas Stevenson (this be- 

 ing the variety that was reserved for 

 the silver medal by the English So- 

 ciety last year) is without exception 

 a glorious variety, the color being a 

 glowing orange scarlet. Of the true 

 scarlet varieties — and there were quite 

 a number of them introduced this sea- 

 son — Scarlet Emperor and Vermillion 

 Brilliant (the North American Cup 



winner at last year's National Show) 

 are in my opinion the best. 



R. F. Felton seems to have done 

 well ev'erywhere. In our trials it was 

 extremely striking. It is a thrifty 

 grower, practically every stem carry- 

 ing four immense flowers of a rich 

 lavender color. 



The variety Loyalty appeared under 

 various names, one being Bertie 

 Usher,- another George Curzon. It is, 

 however, a very striking flower, the 

 color being white with distinct violet- 

 blue flakes. In deep blues. Blue Jack- 

 et seems to lead the way, the color 

 being practically synonymous with the 

 Grandiflora variety Brilliant Blue. 



May Campbell, one of last year's 



certiflcated varieties, is most distinct 

 and very dainty, the ground color be- 

 ing cream with delicate markings of 

 carmine. 



I was specially struck with Lady 

 Evelyn Eyre. Although it approaches 

 some older varieties in coloring it 

 seems to eclipse them in size. It is 

 a beautiful pale pink slightly flushed 

 salAion, somewhat in the way of 

 Florence Morse Spencer. Hercules, a 

 . variety sent out in 1911, is certainly 

 going to eclipse the original variety of 

 this' class— Countess Spencer; al- 

 though of practically the same color 

 it is such a decided advance on Count- 

 ess in size and vigor of blooming, that 

 I may safely predict that within two 



BtTRPEE's New Wi>tei! Flowering Sweet Pe.\. 



