STAKING 97 



market, may be given, say, once a week, and this will add greatly to 

 the size of the flowers as well as lengthen the period of blooming. 



Staking, etc. In the young state a few birch twigs should be 

 put around the plants to keep them upright, but later I think the 

 neatest way of staking is to use four or five long bamboos to each 

 pot, tying the tops of each stake to a hoop of wire or hazel of about 

 15 to 18 inches in diameter. Matting or string may then be used to 

 tie round the plants as they make growth. Green fly is about the 

 only pest that is likely to trouble the Sweet Pea indoors ; this some- 

 times makes its appearance in the points of the shoots, and if left 

 there long enough will cripple the plants, but if syringed with a 

 little soft soap, or the house occasionally fumigated, green fly is 

 easily kept down. By following the above directions a good supply 

 of flowers may be had from April till the middle of July, and even 

 after that if necessary ; but by then, unless the weather is extremely 

 bad, there will be plenty out of doors. It is a good plan to save 

 a little seed from these pot-grown plants, especially if a new variety 

 is being tried in pots, as not all seasons are really favourable to 

 the ripening of the seed .out of doors. A few varieties which 

 have proved very satisfactory in pots are Gracie Greenwood, 

 John Ingman, Dorothy Eckford, King Edward VII., Lady Grisel 

 Hamilton, and Paradise. I think it is advisable to grow a number 

 of plants of one sort rather than many varieties. 



WINTER=FLOWERING SWEET PEAS. 



Comparatively few grow winter-flowering Sweet Peas ; even the 

 market growers are giving them up. The strains most commonly 

 cultivated are known as the Telemly, Zvolaneck and Engelman's. 

 The first originated with the Rev. Edwyn Arkwright, at Telemly, 

 Algiers, the second with Mr. Zvolaneck in the United States, and 

 the third with Mr. Engelman in England. Mr. Arkwright gives the 

 following interesting account of the discovery of his strain of winter- 

 flowering Sweet Peas : The Telemly Sweet Peas blossom (in 

 Algiers) from Christmas until Easter, only ceasing in May, when 

 the English varieties begin. I got this treasure, as I did the White 

 Iris, by a happy accident. It used to be no unusual thing to see 

 the old-fashioned American Pea, Blanche Ferry, occasionally bloom- 

 ing in March, but about ten years ago one particular plant in this 

 garden came out in February. This was promptly isolated, and 



