Diseases and Insect Troubles 



sure our experience is that of the great majority 

 who have taken, or will take up its culture. In 

 conclusion let me quote a few lines I wrote in 1909 : 

 " A charming American lady said of the great 

 Sweet Pea Show which filled every corner Qf the 

 Royal Horticultural Society's Hall in July last, 

 ' It was an ocean of loveliness.' And so it was. 

 Those who have spent many years of their 

 lives in touch with the ocean know that the bays 

 and the creeks are quite the loveliest portions of 

 the mighty deep. Into these small areas there 

 seems to be poured twice a day the concentrated 

 grandeur and beauty of the ocean. Here we might 

 find a simile for our enthusiastic Sweet Pea 

 growers. They cannot have an ocean of loveliness 

 but they can have an estuary of loveliness all to 

 themselves. In their confined little gardens they 

 can have all the best things produced in the Sweet 

 Pea world. They can garner into their small 

 compounds the finest creations of the two hemi- 

 spheres, and get more joy and pleasure out of them 

 than if they had acres of them, or otherwise an 

 ocean of them, which they could only inspect 

 perfunctorily." 



"Ask why God made the gem so small, 



An* why so huge the granite ? 

 Because He meant mankind should set 



The higher value on it." Burns. 



91 



