230 BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS 



may or may not have had a notch at the upper central part of 

 the flower; in either case it was smooth. The 1901 novelty de- 

 parted from this smooth outline, and was deeply waved or frilled. 

 The variation was not only unique, but extremely beautiful, and 

 experts saw at once that an entirely fresh charm had been added 

 to the Sweet Pea. 



The newcomer appeared in the garden of Earl Spencer, at 

 Althorp Park, Northampton, and was called by the head gardener, 

 Silas Cole, under whose care it developed, " Countess Spencer." 

 In colour it was a soft pink a most pleasing shade, equally 

 attractive under natural and artificial light. 



Almost simultaneously a somewhat similar break occurred in 

 a market garden near Cambridge, and was called by the owner, 

 W. J. Unwin, ''Gladys Unwin." It was not so fine a flower as 

 Countess Spencer, and the colour was much paler. 



Two great points of interest arose respecting these novelties : 

 (i) Would the wavy character persist? (2) Was it the result of 

 cross-fertilisation, or a freak of nature a "sport"? As regards 

 the first, it has to be recorded with sorrow that Countess Spencer 

 proved to be fickle. The variety did not revert wholly, or even 

 mainly, to the plain standard, but it threw different flowers, some 

 plain, others frilled. In the florist's phrase, it was " unfixed," that 

 is, the new character was not a definite and unalterable feature. 

 New varieties raised by crossing Countess Spencer were also 

 unfixed. On the other hand, Gladys Unwin and its offspring 

 remained true. 



With respect to the origin of Countess Spencer and Gladys 

 Unwin, various statements and hypotheses have appeared. It has 

 been definitely stated that the former resulted from the artificial 

 pollination of certain varieties, one of which was the old, plain 

 standard pink Prima Donna; and that Gladys Unwin came with- 

 out any such intervention on the part of man in a row of Prima 

 Donna. Both, admittedly, came through the medium of the variety 



