STORY OF THE SWEET PEA 3 



Eckford's Great Work. Twelve years later twelve varieties 

 were on the market and several had distinguishing names : e.g. 

 Crown Princess of Prussia, blush ; Invincible Black ; Invincible 

 White ; Invincible Scarlet, and Invincible Striped. There was little 

 further progress until Mr. Henry Eckford, whose name will ever be 

 one to conjure with in the world of flowers, began his great work 

 of cross-breeding the Sweet Pea, and laid the foundation of the 

 wonderful developments which have since taken place in the flower. 

 He it was who made it possible for succeeding hybridists to pursue 

 the work of improvement and development that is still going on. 

 Although the year 1700 marked the introduction of Lathyrus 

 odoratus to this country, it may be said with truth that not until 

 1877 did the Sweet Pea hold out much promise of becoming a power 

 among garden flowers. Mr. Henry Eckford was then gardener to 

 Dr. Sankey at Boreatton Park, and he worked at the improvement of 

 the Sweet Pea persistently, skilfully and methodically. In 1885 Mr. 

 Eckford brought out Princess of Wales and Indigo King, and in the 

 following year Orange Prince. Others followed in quick suc- 

 cession. In 1887 came Boreatton and Apple Blossom ; in 1893 

 Firefly, Gaiety, Duke of Clarence, Blushing Beauty and several 

 others. In 1894 appeared Lady Beaconsfield, Lady Penzance, Lottie 

 Eckford, Ovid, Royal Robe, and in 1895 the greatest triumph of all, 

 the famous white Blanche Burpee, a variety that was largely grown 

 only a year or two ago, and is still. Captivation, Countess of 

 Aberdeen, Crown Jewel and Little Dorrit were sent out in 1896. 

 In 1897 came Coquette, Lovely, Countess of Shrewsbury, Mars, 

 Prima Donna and Royal Rose. Prince of Wales, Lady Currie, Black 

 Knight, Chancellor, Lady Grisel Hamilton, Mrs. Dugdale, Duke 

 of Westminster, Othello and others soon followed, but so rapidly 

 do varieties now become out of date in the Sweet Pea world that 

 almost all these have been superseded. 



Mention should also be made of the work accomplished by Mr. W. 

 Atlee Burpee, the American florist, among whose triumphs towards 

 the latter end of the nineteenth century are counted Aurora, Maid 

 of Honour, Golden Gate and others famous ten years ago. 



The Waved Sweet Pea. The dawn of the twentieth century 

 witnessed another remarkable development in the Sweet Pea 

 the introduction by Mr. Silas Cole of the beautiful Countess 

 Spencer variety, the first Sweet Pea having a standard with waved 

 outline. 



The coming of this form has almost revolutionised the Sweet 



