Culture of the Sweet Pea in Manitoba' 



THE i^ason that we so seldom see 

 this beautiful annual at its best 

 in this province can be attributed 

 chiefly to two causes, namely, late sow- 

 ing and over-seeding. This paper is 



Many Sweet Pea Plantt are Destroyed by the Cat-W*nn 



Plant on left has been cut off by this pest. 

 Digging usually will locate the cause of the 

 trouble near the plant, as shown. 



written for the purpose of advocating ex- 

 actly the opposite; that is, early sowing 

 and sparse seeding. 



In planting, north to south is the 

 best direction, and an open space away 

 from trees and buildings the most desir- 

 able. There should be at least four feet 

 between the rows, five feet would be 

 better still for the purpose of attending 

 to the plants. 



For the best results, the ground should 

 be prepared in the fall. A good plan is 

 to dig a trench a foot deep and place 

 in the bottom three inches of well-de- 

 cayed manure. On the top of this put 

 four inches of soil and thoroughly mix. 

 The remainder of the soil should then 

 be placed on top and levelled. On new 

 ground and in places where the soil is 

 very rich, it is advisable to eliminate the 

 manure for a year or two ; if the soil is 

 too strong the buds will have a tendency 

 to drop off. 



In the spring, as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground to a depth of three 

 or four inches, the seed should be sown, 

 making a double row, six inches be- 

 tween the rows, the seed being planted 

 four inches apart, and one and a half 

 inches deep ; on light, sandy soil, the 

 seed should be planted another inch 

 deeper. 



Sticks should be provided early for the 

 plants to climb. When these are not 

 obtainable, wire netting nailed to good 

 stout posts will do nearly as well. 



During the growing season, the sur- 

 face of the soil should be kept loose, 

 and all weeds destroyed ; care being tak- 

 en not to disturb the roots of the sweet 

 peas. 



In late spring and early summer keep 



a sharp lookout for that abominable pest 



the cut-worm. The following remedy is 



to be found in a little book called "The 



•Part of a paper read at the convention of 

 the Western Horticultural Society held at Wln- 

 nlpee. 



H. J. Edwards, Winnipeg 



Beautiful Flower Garden," by F. S. 

 Matthews, who says: "I have fought 

 against this wretched night-working 

 garden pest with some success by dig- 

 ging four inches around the plant he 

 has destroyed, and invariably capturing 

 him; then he is shown no mercy." 



When the plants begin to bloom, it is 

 best to cut all the fully developed flow- 

 ers daily, and to see that no seed pods 

 are allowed to form. If this is not done, 

 the plants will cease to bloom. In dry 

 weather give a liberal supply of water, 

 and occasionally a little weak liquid ma- 

 nure. If these directions are followed, 

 the plants should be in bloom from the 

 first week in July until fall. 



Where the situation is bleak, pref- 

 erence should be given to the older or 

 grandiflora type, the newer or Spencer 

 type being planted in a more sheltered 

 position. The grandiflora type will with- 

 stand the wind far better than any of 

 the Spencers. When named varieties 

 are grown, all rogues should be care- 

 fully removed, and leaving one strong 

 plant to every three or four sticks (about 

 twelve inches) is a secret to success. 



The seed catalogues sent out by vari- 

 ous seedsmen contain a fairly compre- 

 hensive list of sweet peas, with a full de- 

 scription as regards type and color. It 



nature. There is one variety which 

 might be mentioned, however, and that 

 is Coccinea. The seed of this i variety is 

 as a rule fine and plump, and would com- 

 pare favorably with the finest samples 

 of seed grown ; some years not one seed 

 from a packet will germinate ; this is not 

 the fault of the seedsman or grower, 

 but is due to a peculiar trait in the va- 

 riety itself. 



The following "Dont's for Amateur 

 Gardeners" are taken from a sp)ecial 

 sweet pea number of The Gardener, 

 and anyone who wishes for the best re- 

 sults should bear them in mind : 



Don't forget, the deeper (in reason) 

 the soil is cultivated, the more vigorous 

 will be the plants. 



Don't imagine that you can grow 

 sweet peas well on the same plot of 

 ground indefinitely. 



Don't forget that early sowing is 

 half the battle in the successful cultiva- 

 teion of the sweet pea. 



Don't ignore the fact that it is po.ssi- 

 ble to grow sweet peas with flower stems 

 eighteen or twenty inches long. 



Every Home-keeper in the West May Have Sweet Peas in Abundance 



The sweet peas in the illustration were sown on April 18. 1908, the 

 photograph taken on July 19. and at the end of August the plants were 

 oyer eight feet high. At the Winnipeg Exhibition the grower of these 

 and the author of the accompanying article, Mr. H. J. Edwards, has 

 won many prizes with his sweet peas. 



is generally a matter of personal choice 

 as to which are the best colors. 



The latest list available mentions over 

 700 different named varieties ; but, as a 

 great many are included in a list of "too 

 much alike" varieties (some have got 

 nearly twenty names), it would be un- 

 wise to particularize in a paper of this 



87 



A Desirable House Plant 



Charles Toner, Simcoe, Ont. 



I have often been asked to suggest a 

 desirable house plant 

 that will thrive where 

 others are likely to 

 fail. There is no plant 

 to my knowledge 

 more suitable or more 

 deserving of a place 

 in a house than Aspi- 

 distra lurida or its 

 variegated variety. 



This plant, although 

 not often seen or 

 much used in this 

 country, is a great 

 favorite in England, 

 being used on nearly 

 all decorative occa- 

 sions. It stands re- 

 movals, variations of 

 the temperature, 

 draughts, neglect, 

 etc. , exceedingly well. 

 Once it is well estab- 

 lished, it takes a lot 

 to kill it. It is never 

 attacked by insects 

 and is not subject to 

 disease. 

 It is pretty and has a nice spreading 

 habit of growth. It is a very desirable 

 hou.se plant, especially where plants are 

 liable to neglect. It flourishes best in a 

 compost of good loam, dried cow ma- 

 nure and grit or coarse sand. Readers 

 of The Canadian Horticulturist should 

 give this plant a trial in their homes. 



