THE NEW SWEET PEAS FOR 1897. 



the richest yellow ; trumpet of immense 

 size. The petals of the perianth measure 

 three and one-half inches across and are 

 so broad that they envelope. 



N. bicolor Horsfieldi. The King of 

 the Daffodils. Very large flowers of 

 pure white with rich yellow trumpet. 

 An early and free flowering species. 



N. incomparal'ilis is popularly known 

 as the " Peerless daffodil." It has large 

 primrose yellow flowers with a short 

 sulphur crown. 



N. iiicoinpiirabilis Stella. Flowers 

 star-shaped, three inches across ; in white, 

 with a bright yellow cup. One of the 

 earliest and most free flowering varieties. 



N. Poeticus is the Pheasant's Eye, or 

 Poet's narcissus. Although one of the 

 oldest varieties, it is the finest for all 

 purposes. Flowers pure white with a 

 showy orange-red ringed cup. 



N. Poeticus flore plena. The Oar- 

 denia-flowered daffodil has double, 

 fragrant, snow-white flowers. Exquis- 

 itely scented, and should not be omitted 

 from any collection. 



N. trumpet major. Flowers large and 

 of a deep yellow, with long, showy 

 trumpet. Highly prized for forcing, 

 and is extensively used for bedding 

 purposes. — Vick's Magazine. 



THE NEW SWEET PEAS FOR 1897. 



'E\'ER before in the history of 

 the sweet pea have there been 

 so many new varieties offered 

 by the seedsmen. The inter- 

 est in the sweet pea the last few years 

 has been so great, that every sport or 

 chance variation has been seized upon, 

 and in addition many specialists are 

 working to produce new variations in 

 shape and color by cross fertilization. 

 The interest taken by sweet pea lovers 

 in new kinds has stimulated the dealers 

 to supply the demand, and some kinds 

 have been sent out that are no improve- 

 ment on existing varieties, and many 

 are sent out too soon, before the type is 

 properly fixed. The high prices paid 

 for new varieties proves too great a 

 temptation for the average grower to 

 withstand, and varieties are sent out 

 before they have got over the tendency 

 to revert to the parent type, which is 

 inherent in all variations, whether they 

 originate from sports or are the results 

 of scientific hybridizing. It takes sev- 

 eral years careful selection and persist- 



ent " rogueing," or pulling out of all 

 plants that do not come true to type, 

 before a variation is sufficiently well 

 fixed to be offered for sale as a new 

 variety. 



A very marked feature of the new 

 peas of this season was their poor ger- 

 minating power, particularly of the 

 American varieties. Several of them 

 did not grow at all, under circumstances 

 that made it perfectly certain that the 

 seed was at fault. Red Riding Hood 

 and Maid of Honor were most vigorous 

 growers, while along side of them in the 

 very same soil. Brilliant and Creole did 

 not have a single fertile seed. In their 

 anxiety to save all the seed possible, the 

 growers had evidently pulled the pods 

 before they were properly ripened. 

 Among the varieties of European origin 

 only three out of fourteen failed to do 

 well, while out of fourteen varieties of 

 American origin, eight germinated badly, 

 most of them a total failure. My ex- 

 perience is not at all in harmony with 

 the claims of the introducers of the 



419 



