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16 



The Rorists^ Review 



JuNB 29. 1922 



fifteen to eighteen incites long in the 

 open, iis they do there, requires exact 

 conditions, and to look over extensive 

 acreages of such stock gives a sweet pea 

 enthusiast an eyeful. Mr. Cuthbertson 

 has practically fixed a selection of 

 duplex in cream and white, late flower- 

 ing. This breaks into the new class we 

 have been looking for. The stock is lim- 

 ited, but it is tliere and requires only 

 time to work it up. 



At Ouadaloupe. 



Down at Guadaloupe, also within a 

 few miles of the coast, is another favor- 

 ably located sweet pea ranch, of .'500 

 acres, owned by the L. D. Waller Seed 

 Co. There is a large acreage of many 

 other flower seeds, specialties — in fact, 

 everything in this line is tried out and 

 produced extensively if the growing 

 conditions are exact. The vagaries of 

 climatic conditions along the coast, 

 caused by the influence of air move- 

 ments from the ocean through various 

 mountain passes, makes necessary a 

 careful study of these conditions, as 

 they affect different crops. A line that 

 will not do well at the home ranch may 

 find its perfect developing conditions a 

 few miles away. Mr. Waller points with 

 j)ride to a block of the new early-flower- 

 ing sweet pea. Grenadier, a large, rich 

 crimson, on phenomenal stems. 



The American Ijegion poppy, of the 

 Shirley type, is a flaming scarlet; the 

 writer believes it should be carefully 

 tried out by cut flower growers. A 

 bunch of these, cut close and sent home 

 by parcel post, arrived in fair condition 

 four days later. Of course, the petals 

 dropped in a short time after the flowers 

 were unpacked. 



Probably the largest collection of 

 Cupid sweet peas in the world is to be 

 found on this ranch. This class is grown 

 principally for the European trade, 

 where the cut flower is not so imjiortant 

 a factor as is the bedding plant busi- 

 ness. 



To Lompoc Valley. 



I was given to understand by these 

 California boosters that the only bad 

 stretch of road in the state connects 

 this section with the Lompoc valley, 

 across the mountain. Their highways 

 are so favorablv known that, out of 



Acres of Sweet Peas Grown for Seed in the Lompoc Valley. 



consideration for our generous hosts, I 

 will not record my impressions of this 

 particular one. 



The mountain scenery makes this a 

 short trip, indeed, to the great seed- 

 growing ranch of the W. Atlee Burpee 

 Co. Here we were taken in hand by 

 W. Atlee Burpee, Jr., who was there for 

 the sweet ])ea roguing season, and 

 Harry F. Buckman, under whose able 

 management this ranch has become a 

 center of interest to the sweet pea 

 world. To the writer the outstanding 

 j)oint of interest was a lot of seedlings 

 of the Hawlmark Pink type in the 

 early flowering class, unfixed as yet. 

 It is a prize worth working for, and 

 I believe perseverance, so necessary 

 in all original sweet pea work, is 

 alone needed to give us an entirely 

 new shade in sweet peas. Chevalier 

 is a new rose-colored variety, easily 

 twice the size of Fordhook Rose. Bur- 

 pee "s Orange, from a cut flower grow- 



er 's point of view, gives us what we 

 need, a real orange, wings and all. In 

 Robin Hood we shall have a vivid scar- 

 let with a slight maroon cast and great 

 size. A 2-acre block of Columbia, the 

 new pink and white of the Blanche 

 Ferry type, was, for strong growth, 

 hardly to be distinguished from the late- 

 flowering variety of this color. Among 

 the late-flowering kinds as seen among 

 all the growers. Pink Pearl is outstand- 

 ing. It is a large, deep rose, a real cut 

 flower color. Hebe, in the same color 

 class, is large, really enormous, but has 

 a blue tinge when compared closely with 

 Pink Pearl. 



Fighting the Aphis. 



The arch enemy of all sweet pea grow- 

 ers, under glass as well as in the field, 

 is the aphis. A few days of unusually 

 warm weather in the California fields 

 give this pest a dangerous hold on the 

 vines. The normal temperature of 50 

 to 60 degrees keeps it in check so 

 th;it it can be fought successfully. 

 For this purpose is used a white powder 

 known as Xico-Dust, for which, by the 

 way, I believe the manufacturers could 

 find a market among cut flower growers, 

 in ])lace of a liquid spray, for use out- 



(Continued on pafress.t 



Dusting the Sweet Pea Plants to Eradicate the Aphis. 



A GROUP OF SWEET PEA MEN. 



On the preceding page is to be seen a 

 group of men whose aggregate knowl- 

 edge of sweet peas, if it could be in 

 iniy mniiner combined as a whole, would 

 be amnzingly extensive. If you don't 

 recognize them, we'll point them out, 

 beginning, in usual fashion, nt the left. 

 Dr. Franklin, of the L. D. Waller Seed 

 Co., is taking notes. Harry F. Buckman. 

 niannger of the W. Atlee Burpee Co. 

 sweet pea rnnch, is smiling. L. D. 

 Waller, himself, hns his hands behind 

 his back. Frank Cnthbertson, of C. C. 

 Morse & Co., with a cigar, quizzically 

 regards the photographer above his 

 notes. George .T. Ball, of Glen ?:ilvn. 

 111., is looking over some peas from the 

 Burpee fields. Edgar Bowen, of D. M. 

 Ferry & Co., Detroit, sees humor in the 

 distance. W. Atlee Burpee, Jr., is the 

 photographer, and therefore unseen. 



