146 



standard, bright orange pink, flushed with scarlet ; wings 

 bright rose veined with pink. 



The Queen. A very beautiful and pleasing variety; 

 the light rosy pink standard being in charming contrast 

 to the wings which are light mauve. 



Before leaving this subject I would like to call your 

 attention to what seems to me to be the " key note" of 

 successful sweet pea culture which in nine seasons out of 

 ten will give success. It is short and easily remembered, 

 " Plant early and plant deep." 



THE PANSY. 



As we are about to discuss the cultivation of the Pansy 

 as an annual, the first question that presents itself to our 

 mind i s ^ — what strain of seed shall we plant ? and this 

 question brings up another — what are the properties of a 

 perfect flower ? Substance of petal is the most important 

 point ; however perfect may be the form, however beauti- 

 ful the color, or large the flower ; if it is weak and flimsy 

 its beauty is destroyed. The petals must be thick and 

 velvety, a condition which will enable the flowers to keep 

 well after being gathered. 



The second point is form. The petals must be so dis- 

 posed as to form almost a perfect circle, yet I think the 

 two upper petals should be a little longer than the others, 

 so as to just break the circle. The margin must be 

 smooth and the petals perfectly flat, not turning up at the 

 edges, which defect spoils a great many flowers otherwise 

 perfect. The next requirement which demands our atten- 

 tion relates to color ; whatever the color it should be 

 clear and pure, with the eye large and distinct. Lastly 

 comes size ; of course it is desirable to have good sized 

 flowers, but size is the least important point of a good 

 Pansy. I believe judges usually adopt the following scale 

 of points ; form, four points ; substance, three ; color, 

 two ; and size, one ; if I vrere to attempt to improve this 



