grnimmniiniiiiiiByaBiim in nil 



1 1^ 



mi 



Jlorists 



kREVI] 



AN EXPERT'S WAY ^ 

 r^- WITH SWEET PEAS 



Two years cujo The Review printed a series of articles on sweet peas 

 hij this writer, ivhtch ivere in request long after copies were exhausted. This 

 presentation of hts methods is in response to many readers' expressed desire. 

 Growers should tear out these pages and save them for later reference. 



WEET peas have become in- 

 creasingly important in the 

 cut flower market in recent 

 years. Their production 

 has naturally augmented 

 and today this flower is 

 grown in widely separated 

 localities and under widely 

 varying conditions. The 

 need of accurate knowl- 

 edge in regard to its culture is therefore 

 great and the demand for such knowl- 

 edge seems to be keen. Years' experience 

 has brought a familiarity with the re- 

 quirements of sweet peas, which may 

 be imparted to other growers to aid 

 them and the popularity of this flower. 

 Conditions vary with -different 

 growers, but there are certain principles 

 that apply to all of us and the basic one 

 is the necessity of a well manured, thor- 

 oughly pulverized, deep soil, preferably 

 of a heavy, clayey nature. Though I have 

 seen fine peas grown 

 in all types of soil, 

 I prefer the heavier, 

 more retentive type, 

 for the same reason 

 that a rose grower 

 prefers it. It pro- 

 duces a firmer, 

 stronger growth and 

 a more highly col- 

 ored flower. A 

 heavy soil is gener- 

 ally supplied more 

 fully with natural 

 elements and is 

 more retentive of 

 them. 



Manure. 



I use manure free- 

 ly, both in the soil 

 before planting and 

 later in the winter 

 and spring as a top- 

 d r e s si n g . Most 

 growers consider 

 cow manure far su- 

 perior to horse man- 

 ure and will go to 

 much cost to get it. 

 I have experimented 

 with both for sev- 

 eral seasons and 

 have concluded that 

 well decomposed 

 horse manure is pre- 

 f e r a b 1 e for our 

 heavy prairie soil, 

 though I understand 

 that better results 

 are had with cow 

 manure in the grav- 

 elly or sandy soils 



^ By GEORGE J. BALL. 



which are common in the eastern states. 

 The manure is applied not so much 

 for the feeding elements it contains as 

 for its mechanical effect on the soil and 

 it should be used with this in mind. 

 Another factor that should be kept in 

 mind, in valuing manure, is what the 

 animal producing it is fed and what it 

 returns; it is logical to believe that the 

 manure from a grass-fed cow producin<;- 

 milk freely will not be so valuable as 

 that from a grain-fed horse that is idle 

 part of the time. [^ 



Consider Conditions^^ • 



I know from observation that many 

 small growers could profitably use mon- 

 manure than they do. They seem to 

 be afraid of it. Considering that the 

 maintenance of greenhouses costs at 

 least 100 per cent more now than a few 



Sweet Peas in the Greenhouses of George J. Ball» at Glen Ellyn, III, 



years ago, growers should include in 

 their efliciency program a more nearly 

 maximum crop production. However, 

 there are limitations that must be kept 

 in mind. If peas are planted early for 

 winter blooming, an excessive use of 

 manure will produce a soft, rank growth 

 that will drop the buds in cloudy 

 weather as fast as they are formed. 

 In considering another grower's advice 

 or experience; it must be remembered 

 that soil requirements and local con- 

 ditions differ. 



In composting our virgin prairie soil 

 a load of manure is used with two or 

 three loads of soil, the proportions de- 

 pending on tlie grade of manure, the 

 amount of bedding in it and the extent 

 to which it is decomposed. After this 

 mixture is wheeled in, 300 pounds of 

 bone or acid phosphate are added to 

 each 1,000 square feet of bench space. 

 To be sure that the soil will be sweet, 

 a liberal quantity of 

 hy.drated lime and 

 ground limestone is 

 applied; then the 

 whole is thoroughly 

 incorporated. For 

 winter - blooming 

 peas, there vrill be 

 about as much life 

 in such a mixture as 

 can safely be put 

 into it. 



Top-dressing. 



About March 1, 

 when the growth has 

 become heavy and 

 somewhat hardened, 

 lessening the danger 

 of bud dropping, 

 three or four inches 

 of good manure ia 

 aiided in the form 

 of top-dressing. And 

 this is not all. The 

 summer catch crop, 

 of mums or asters, 

 is heavily top- 

 dressed. With this 

 I'ree use of manure, 

 frequent applica- 

 tions of lime in 

 some form should be 

 used to counteract 

 the tendency of ma- 

 nure to sour the soil. 



Both raised and 

 g r u n (1 beds are 

 used. Fine peas can 

 be grown on raised 

 beds in midwinter, 

 and during dark 

 winters the raised 



