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Jvhx 6, 1911. 



The Weekly Florists' Review. 



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OBSERVATIONS ON SWEET PEAS. 



[A paper by Edwin I»ii8(lale, of Lompoc, Cal.. 

 read at the annual ineetluK of the National Sweet 

 Pea Society of America, June 2fl and 30, 1911.] 



We are all aware that the sweet pea, 

 l?y its own intrinsic worth, has forged 

 to the front and now heads the list 

 among annual flowfers, aided to some 

 extent, of course, by its numerous ar- 

 dent admirers. The sweet pea is rarely 

 out of place, and is almost as much at 

 home blooming in the city yard as it 

 is in the more pretentious gardens of 

 the suburbanite or on the broader acre- 

 age, farther afield, among the more 

 wealthy. 



The late and highly respected Henry 

 Eekford is everywhere accorded the 

 honored title of "Father of the Sweet 

 Pea," having by painstaking and well 

 directed effort, in cross-fertilizing and 

 selecting, improved it in many of the 

 great essentials, which include size, 

 color and form, but it was the advent 

 of that beautiful variety, Countess 

 Spencer, which marked the greatest ad- 

 vance in the modern sweet pea, and the 

 tendency to sport or vary, which this 

 modern type has a predisposition to do, 

 is not the least among its interesting 

 qualities. 



The Sportive Tendency. 



Someone has said that this sportive 

 tendency "is a blessing in disguise," 

 and I believe it. Most assuredly it has 

 added zest to the growing of sweet peas 

 generally in recent years, for many en- 

 thusiasts in these days are continually 

 on the lookout for new color shades, 

 new color combinations and an addi- 

 tional eighth of an inch to the standard. 

 The tendency of the modern sweet pea 

 to throw sports has caused many en- 

 thuiasts to observe more closely for 

 color and other variations, and thus has 

 added materially to their pleasures iu 

 sweet pea growing. 



We hear sometimes the carping critic 

 bewailing the fact that there are too 

 many varieties, and some have gone so 

 far as to take the trouble of preparing 

 lists of too-much-alike varieties, but we 

 must always bear in mind that each 

 color selection frequently has charac- 

 teristics all its own, which are often 

 influenced by different soil or climatic 

 conditions, so that it behooves us to try 

 all varieties and hold on to those which 

 answer our own individual purposes 

 best. Florists everywhere find sweet 

 peas, both in the winter season and 

 also when grown outdoors in summer, 

 always useful to cut from and never 

 out of place, and the newer Spencers, 

 with their larger and more wavy stand- 

 ards, lend themselves most gracefully 

 to all floral art. This type also has 

 another advantage for garden and 

 floral decorations, on account of its fail- 

 ing to set seed so freely as does the 

 older grandiflora types, thus prolonging 

 its season for producing flowers. 



Suggestions as to Varieties. 



Among crimsons, nothing in general 

 cultivation is superior to King Edward 

 Spencer, as it lights up so well under 

 the influence of artificial light at night. 

 For a delicate pink, the best selections 

 of the original Countess Spencer are 

 still among the most choice. For ma- 

 roon, Othello answers the purpose well. 

 White Spencer is one of the best in 

 that color. For a cream, Primrose Spen- 

 cer at its best is at the head of the 

 list. So far as I have seen, in the light 

 lavender shade, there is nothing better 

 than the newer Florence Nightingale. 



W. Alice Burpee. 



(Prealdent National ^w«et Pea Society.) 



The foregoing list is of course recom- 

 mended for outdoor growing in summer 

 time. 



For winter blooming an entirelj' dis- 

 tinct type is made use of, among which 

 may be mentioned: Earliest White, or 

 Florence Denzer, and Mont Blanc. For 

 cream, Earliest Sunbeams is good. 

 Christmas Pink and reselected Earliest 

 of All Blanche Ferry are quite popular 

 among the pinks. For rosy lavender, 

 Mrs. Alex. Wallace, and for violet pur- 

 ple, Le Marquis are grown. The win- 

 ter blooming class is not of the Spencer 

 type, but these, I am reliably informed, 

 are on the way to arrive quite soon. 



The crops of sweet pea seeds at this 

 writing are quite uncertain, especially 

 at Floradale, where, on account of 

 weather conditions, planting was from 

 four to six weeks later than in 1910. 



PROPAGATION OP FICUS. 



Please give us information as to 

 time and manner of the propagation of 

 Ficus elastica. S. G. 



In summer propagation can be effect- 

 ed by making cuts, slanting ones are 

 best, six to twelve inches from the 

 tops of any of the shoots. The cuts 

 should be two to three inches long and 

 between eyes. Rub some fine charcoal 

 in the cut and put in a fine-pointed 

 stick, like a toothpick, to prevent 

 its closing. Then wrap a handful of 

 sphagnum or wood moss around the 

 cut. Tie it securely with raflSa or soft 

 twine and keep constantly moist. The 

 tops should be cut off and potted as 

 soon as roots are seen pushing through 

 the moss. Place in small pots. Tie up 

 the leaves for a time and spray fre- 



quently until established, growing 

 them in a close, moist house. Where 

 there are large, bushy plants at com- 

 mand, this is much the best method of 

 propagation, as if the moss is kept 

 moist no cuttings should fail to root. 

 In winter, any time after Christ- 

 mas, when a steady, brisk bottom heat 

 is at command, top cuttings can be 

 taken and rooted in a propagating 

 bench, where the bottom heat is 75 to 

 8.) degrees. Tie up the leaves and 

 keej) the bed constantly moist. The 

 writer has found cuttings to root bet- 

 ter where some chopped sphagnum and 

 fine charcoal were mixed with the sand. 

 Another method of propagation is from 

 single eyes with one leaf. The leaf 

 must be tied up and when potted 

 should be staked. This is a favorite 

 ])lan of propagation in Belgium, but it 

 takes longer to produce plants and is 

 for that reason little used here. A 

 brisk bottom heat is, of course, neces- 

 sary M'ith single eye cuttings also. 



C. W. 



CUTTING BACK HYDRANGEAS. 



I have a lot of hydrangeas from 5- 

 inch and (i-inch pots, which failed to 

 flower this spring, and I have just 

 planted them out. They are quite tall, 

 having stood close together until now. 

 Should I cut them back, and if so, how 

 much? F. O. 



Cut them back to within six inches 

 of the ground. This work would have 

 been better done a month ago, but if 

 the plants are in a position where they 

 can get some water in dry weather, 

 they should make quite good growths 

 before the middle of October, when they 

 will require lifting and potting. 



