INTRODUCTION 



"THE Sweet Pea has a keel that was meant to seek all 

 shores; it has wings that were meant to fly across all 

 continents; it has a standard which is friendly to all 

 nations; and it has a fragrance like the universal Gos- 

 pel : yea, a sweet prophecy of welcome everywhere that 

 has been abundantly fulfilled/' 



So said the REV. W. T. HUTCHINS, the well-known 

 Sweet Pea enthusiast, when attending the Sweet Pea 

 Bi-centenary Celebration in London in 1900; and his 

 words sound almost like a prophecy a prophecy that 

 has indeed been abundantly fulfilled. 



As far as we can learn the Sweet Pea is a native 

 of Sicily, and we read that in 1699 FRANCISCUS CUPANI, 

 an Italian monk, sent seeds to England, and so was 

 begun the culture of Sweet Peas. 



Although there were several distinct colors in cul- 

 tivation, no great advancement was made until the 

 late HENRY ECKFORD, of Wem, Shropshire, England, 

 in 1870 started his great life work on Sweet Peas. 

 Since then the development of this lovely and fragrant 

 flower has been one of the floral wonders of the age. 



The late THOMAS LAXTON, of Bedford, England, also 

 worked on the improvement of the Sweet Pea, starting 

 in 1877. His Invincible Carmine was certificated in 

 1883, being the first recorded result of cross-fertilization, 

 and since then many florists have assisted in carrying 

 on the improvement of the Sweet Pea, America being 

 to the front as usual, many charming and refined va- 

 rieties being distributed by W. ATLEE BURPEE & Co. 

 and other American seedsmen, and quite three-fourths 



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