THE NEW SWEET PEAS FOR i8g7. 



American sorts, which were widely 

 advertised as more vigorous, hardier 

 and better suited to our climate than 

 the foreign kinds. 



In the following notes on the new 

 sweet peas of 1897 is included what is 

 known as Eckford's '96 set, as they 

 were grown by so few Canadian gar- 

 deners last year, that they are practi- 

 cally new this season, and were not 

 included in my notes on sweet peas in 

 the January Horticulturist. The 

 only new varieties not noted below is 

 an extra set of seven varieties sent out 

 in limited quantity by Mr. Eckford, 

 which, as far as I know, have not been 

 grown in Canada this year, and only to 

 a very limited extent in America. 



Eckford's '96 set consists of six kinds, 

 Little Dorrit, Captivation, Alice Eck- 

 ford, Crown Jewel, Mikado and Coun- 

 tess of Aberdeen. 



Little Dorrit is an improved form of 

 that old favorite Blanche Ferry. It is 

 slightly lighter in color, decidedly 

 larger, but unfortunately has the same 

 defective form, the standard is too 

 wedge shaped and too much reflexed to 

 come up to the modern standard of 

 excellence. It has the same tendency 

 as Blanche Feny to sport into a strain 

 with rosy pink spots on the back of the 

 wings, and sometimes on the standard 

 as well. It is a sufficient improvement 

 on Blanche Ferry to supplant it. 



Captivation — Large size and iine sheU 

 shaped form, a strong vigorous grower, 

 the color a rosy-purple. While not 

 agreeable to some, is very striking and 

 unique. It is more like Uorthy Tenn- 

 ant than any other of the older varieties. 



Alice Eckford — One of the most vigor- 

 ous growers and most profuse bloomers 

 in my collection. Standard straight, 

 cream colored, faintly streaked reddish- 

 pink, wings cream, hooded. A very 



handsome flower, one of the most desir- 

 able of the set. 



Croivn Jewel — Good size and form, 

 standard slightly hooded, pale pink tint- 

 ed and veined with rose, wjngs cream 

 tinted pink, very broad, a handsome 

 flower. 



Countess of Aberdeen — .A lovely shade 

 of soft flesh pink in both standard and 

 wings, the standard very much curved 

 forward at the sides, running to a point 

 at the top, wings over-lapping at the 

 top, almost pointed at the"sides. Much 

 the same shape as Royal Robe, but a 

 more delicate shade of pink, and a 

 much more profuse bloomer. 



Mikado — A seedling from Mrs. Joseph 

 Chamberlain, said to be an orange 

 cerise striped white. With me it was 

 very variable in shape and color, some 

 had hooded and others expanded stand- 

 ard, often both on the same spray, in 

 color it varied from clear rose pink 

 veined carmine, to rose pink streaked 

 white, and some were as light as Mrs. 

 Joseph Chamberlain, evidently sent out 

 before it was well fixed in type, at its 

 best the poorest member of the set, and 

 not worth growing. 



Eckford's '97 set also consists of six 

 members : — Coquette, Lovely, Prima 

 Donna, Mars, Royal Rose and Countess 

 of Shrewsbury. Of these the finest is 

 Coquette, considered by many to be the 

 finest of all sweet peas. Large size and 

 fine hooded form, the stardard close to 

 the wings, curved forward at the sides, 

 of a charming shade of primrose, flushed 

 lavender, wings clear primrose. A 

 strong vigorous grower, stalks long, fre- 

 quently four flowered. 



Lovely — A beautiful shaded shell pink 

 of good size and fine hooded form. 

 Changed shape and color considerably 

 the latter part of the season, the stand- 

 ard became more expanded and the 



