eeport of committee on plants and flowers 211 



Sweet Pea Exhibition. 



The National Sweet Pea Society held its annual show in Horti- 

 cultural Hall, July 13 and 14 in connection with the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society's exhibition. All the halls were filled to 

 overflowing. The exhibition was a notable success and a good deal 

 of enthusiasm was stirred up which means well for the future and 

 it may not be out of place to insert here part of the review of the 

 show by the veteran sweet pea specialist, Rev. W. T. Hutchins. 



The Boston show of last Saturday showed where we actually are in this 

 country. It showed that the American Sweet Pea Society is well on its 

 feet. The confidence with which we turn our faces to the Boston show of 

 1913 is greater than ever. The exhibit of 1912 was a phenomenal success. 

 Our sweet pea men "produced the goods." I have heretofore written 

 in a solicitous strain; this time I write in the most sanguine vein. Great 

 praise is due the officers of the society, and congratulations should be 

 extended to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society that they have lent 

 their aid to this historic exhibition. And to the man wtiose faith in the 

 Spencer Sweet Pea has been greatest and whose devotion has been un- 

 bounded — W. Atlee Burpee — we owe more than to anyone else. No 

 flower ever had a more inviting opportunity for popularization than the 

 sweet pea of today, and the Boston show proved that it can be popularly 

 grown. 



The Society's classes were confined to exhibits of twenty-five 

 sprays in colors and every class was well filled. For the most 

 part the prizes were won by exhibitors from a distance, or beyond 

 the area of severe rainfall which covered the neighborhood of 

 Boston two days before the show and damaged the flowers beyond 

 recovery. 



During the judging the committee found there was a lack of 

 agreement as to color among exhibitors. Unfortunately we think 

 most of them had relied upon the color statements as given in 

 seed catalogues and other literature sent out by dealers, rather 

 than upon their own judgment. The result was that many shades 

 of color were found in one entry. Shades of crimson, cerise, car- 

 mine, pink, violet, purple, and maroon were much mixed. We 

 would suggest when the Sweet Pea Society again meets in Boston 

 that color cards be displayed in convenient places and that the 

 judges be guided by them. 



