SHADING THE BLOSSOMS 89 



proof varieties ; to do this they must of necessity exclude 

 many of the most striking flowers and narrow down their 

 selections very considerably. With such a decision we 

 have little or no sympathy. We think it is much better 

 to overcome a difficulty such as the scalding of Sweet 

 Pea blooms, rather than deny ourselves the joy of grow- 

 ing the brighter coloured flowers, which are more often 

 the most attractive of the whole series. 



Scalding may be prevented in a number of ways, and 

 those who possess the will may very soon provide means 

 of preventing this undesirable state of affairs by erecting 

 a screen to protect the flowers during experiences of 

 brilliant sunshine, in hot and trying weather. 



The reader naturally asks, How can I prevent my 

 Sweet Pea blossoms from scalding ? To this query we 

 readily reply, By a variety of methods. In the first place 

 we would suggest that he should take advantage of the 

 shade afforded by tall trees, no matter whether they be 

 your own or those of your neighbour. The friendly 

 shade of tall trees is invaluable, and is a considerable 

 saving in time and labour. Partial shade is all that is 

 required, and the sun should then filter through the trees 

 so that its power would be very much reduced thereby. 



A better method, however, is to plant by themselves, 

 varieties that suffer from scalding, so that they are the 

 more easily controlled and may each receive similar 

 treatment. 



When the varieties that are susceptible in this respect 

 are planted indiscriminately with the others, no matter 

 whether it be in rows or in clumps, protection from the 

 sun is less easily afforded, whereas, by grouping them 

 together, they can all receive the same treatment. Hav- 

 ing determined this matter what should be our next 

 procedure ? 



We should be disposed, were we growing Sweet Peas 

 for exhibition, to adopt one of two methods, viz., either 



