32 



The Florists' Review 



NOTBMBBB 18, 1020 



SELECT VABIETIES THAT SELL. 



[This is the last in the series of articles on 

 sweet peas by George J. Bull, of Glen BUyn, 

 111., previous installments of which appeared in 

 the October 7 and 21 and November 4 issues of 

 The Review.] 



A great deal of actual money is lost 

 in growing unsuitable varieties of sweet 

 peas. The kinds that sell in quantity 

 have clear, attractive colors. For mid- 

 winter use I find the number of varieties 

 limited to a bare half-dozen. On looking 

 over commission houses, quantities of 

 uncertain colors can frequently be seen 

 that sell only in limited numbers, par- 

 ticularly in midwinter. With the begin- 

 ning of spring, these novelty colors are 

 in better demand, though even then the 

 buyers are discriminating. It is in 

 selecting colors for midwinter that the 

 grower must be conservative, for the 

 lack of abundant sunshine makes most 

 of the novelty colors entirely worthless 

 at that time. I shall treat varieties in 

 the order of their value, as I have found 

 them. 



Pink and White Leads. 



What is known as Pink and. White, or 

 Blanche Ferry Pink, heads the list. 

 With its rose-colored standard and 

 white wings, it presents a most delight- 

 ful combination of colors, resembling 

 the old Blanche Ferry. The difference 

 between this old favorite of long ago 

 and a well grown winter-blooming Pink 

 and White, as it is known for want of 

 a better name, illustrates what a quar- 

 ter-century of plant breeding has ac- 

 complished for sweet peas. It is safe 

 to say that one-third of all the winter 

 peas grown are of the one variety. Pink 

 and White. It holds its color well in 

 midwinter, but in the hot days of spring 

 the colors are inclined to run together. 



Most growers have found the variety 

 Columbia the most profitable in this 

 color. It represents a type between the 

 early and late, producing a heavier 

 growth than the early variety, conse- 

 quently a larger number of flowers. 

 Because of this heavier growth, it is 

 several weeks later in getting into crop. 

 As late as several seasons ago, most 

 strains of Pink and White produced an 

 unprofitably large number of poor col- 

 ors, but the painstaking work of seed 

 growers has put most strains in excel- 

 lent shape. 



Pink Colors Second. 



The pink colors, represented by Eose 

 Queen, easily hold second place and 

 among Chicago growers this representa- 

 tive variety continues to rank high, 

 although it was among the first of the 

 winter-blooming Spencers to appear. It 

 is a large flower with a beautiful, soft 

 color during the winter months, al- 

 though, in common with all varieties, too 

 much dark weather will affect the color. 

 Zvolanek's Eose is a larger flower and 

 of a darker color than Rose Queen, but 



commission men are responsible for the 

 statement that when buyers have their 

 choice the soft color of Eose Queen 

 gives it the preference. We place this 

 variety in our novelty list. 



Wliltes and Lavenders. 



White is probably next in order and 

 in this class we have Snowstorm crowd- 

 ing Snowflake for first place. It is fully 

 as large as the latter, with a better form. 

 Snowflake produces a heavy, soft growth 

 that affects the keeping quality of the 

 flowers, particularly during the spring 

 months. 



It might be of interest to growers 

 who have experienced trouble in ger- 

 minating the white-seeded varieties to 

 know that seed should be sown in a 

 medium that will retain moisture until 

 they have germinated. Watering the 

 seed is certain to start decay; the outer 

 coating of the seed is thin and they 

 swell promptly, but why they are so 

 susceptible to excessive moisture we do 

 not know. Perhaps some reader of The 

 Review can tell us. 



There are a number of fine lavenders 

 to select from. Our choice, among 

 standard kinds, is Princess. It has a 

 clear, dark color and is extra early in 

 getting into flower. 



Asta Ohn, a lighter shade, is a suf- 

 fused rose. A desirable characteristic is 

 its restricted growth, only about one- 

 third the usual head room being neces- 

 sary. 



We have been fortunate in making an 

 advance trial of the new light lavender. 

 Harmony. This is the most attractive 

 one in this class and has an extra strong 

 growth. 



Bluebird Exclusive. 



Next in order, I should say, are the 

 blues, and in this color Bluebird has the 

 field to itself. It is a strong, easy 

 grower and throughout the middle west 

 the color is in active demand. 



The foregoing list represents the best 

 of the midwinter kinds, which are 

 started in August. Some of them are 

 not so desirable for late planting as 

 those in the novelty class. With the 

 coming of warm spring weather the bi- 

 colors of the Blanche Ferry type run 

 together. Rose Queen loses both size and 

 color and Bluebird loses its even blue 

 and becomes darker. The lavenders and 

 whites are equally desirable for either 

 season. 



The Novelty Colors. 



The novelty colors, which are planted 

 later and grown cool during midwinter 

 and throughout the spring months, pro- 

 vide a riot of colors and become an im- 

 portant item in the cut flower market. 



True Blue is what its name implies. 

 This color becomes more attractive as 

 the weather warms up. 



Wedgwood is a fine-flowering, even 



blue, but not so large as True Blue and 

 a shade lighter. 



Heatherbell is an attractive, rosy 

 lavender. 



Of the rosy purple shades I believe 

 Glorious is the best. 



Aviator is a rich scarlet, but this is a 

 color that can be easily oversupplied. 



Fordhook Eose is an attractive rosy 

 carmine that sells well. 



Ynes Gilbert is a glowing, orange scar- 

 let. 



I was privileged to try out Glitters 

 during the last season and found it the 

 'most glowing orange I have ever seen. 

 It has a telling color, but, like all in this 

 class, it requires full spring tempera- 

 tures in order to attain full develop- 

 ment. 



Zvolanek's Rose I prefer to place in 

 the novelty class, because it does not de- 

 velop its great size under midwinter 

 conditions. 



Hercules is a fine, clear color for any 

 season, but its even pink color seems to 

 develop particularly well during early 

 spring. 



Yarrawa is still one of the best of the 

 novelty colors. This list can be greatly 

 extended, but every variety I have dis- 

 cussed will be found safe and distinct. 

 Odd Colors Useful. 



Among people of correct taste there is 

 a demand for odd colors, to be used in 

 carrying out color schemes, and it is the 

 business of growers to keep up the 

 supply. We frequently meet people who 

 are amazed at the existence of such 

 colors as are represented by Nubian, 

 Belgian Hero or Serbian Prince. There 

 are always people who are looking for 

 something original or different and, 

 while these novelty colors are not large 

 sellers, they attract attention. Too 

 many new kinds are offered in this class. 

 Most of them merely add to the long 

 list. For midwinter only strong, clear 

 colors can be used. However, we must 

 not forget that all our money-making 

 standard kinds were at one time in the 

 novelty list. In order to get a Rose 

 Queen or a Snowflake, we should be glad 

 to test a few novelties that may prove 

 to be failures. 



SPIDERS IN GREENHOUSES. 



What can we do to exterminate a pest 

 which is in the dark corners of our 

 greenhouses and around the premises? 

 It appears to be a spider, although it 

 jumps like a grasshopper and has long 

 legs. It is brown in color and is never 

 to be found with other members of the 

 spider family. We have not noticed 

 any particular damage from them, ex- 

 cept that they eat at vegetables. We 

 have tried lime to exterminate them, 

 with no effect. What would you ad- 

 vise us to do! K. & S. — Wis. 



Lime would be of no value in clear- 

 ing out such pests as you describe. Try 

 Hammond's Slug Shot, sprinkling it 

 about their habitats. This remedy has 

 proved successful in many similar cases. 

 Should Slug Shot fail, I should recom- 

 mend a fumigation with hydrocyanic 

 acid gas. This remedy should be care- 

 fully used, but it is usually reliable for 

 cleaning out all forms of insect life. 

 In cool weather damage to plant life, 

 as a result, is reduced to a minimum. 

 C. W. 



Pittsburgh, Pa. — The A. & S. Wilson 

 Co. has received a contract for a large 

 greenhouse to be built for Emil Winter. 



