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JUNE 20, 1912. 



The Weekly Fbrists' Review* 



17 



Ten Acres of Wiater-Blooming Spencer Type Sweet Peas at Lompoc, CaL 



lack of uniformly successful results can- 

 not be attributed to cold storage, but 

 rather to lack of uniformity in the 

 product stored, probably too early pick- 

 injj; or too late picking, or to careless 

 or unintelligent handling before storing. 



ANTIBBHINUMS. 



We are having trouble with our antir- 

 rhinums in the field. Some insect is cut- 

 ting them off about an inch above the 

 ground during the day. Do cutworms 

 evt'r work that high, or in the daytime! 



G. V. W. 



Cutworms frequently work on antir- 

 rliinums. They are night operators, how- 

 ever, and usually cut oflE the plants level 

 with the ground, but occasionally above 

 or below it. It is likely that cutworms 

 are responsible for your losses. 



C. W. 



3FIBJEA JAPONICA. 



I have some Spiraea Japonica that are 

 through blooming. Will they be of any 

 service for next year! If so, what treat- 

 ment, in Georgia climate, must I give 

 them? W. D. P. 



Spiraeas such as Japonica, astilboides, 

 grandiflora and Queen Alexandra are of 

 no value for forcing two seasons in suc- 

 cession. They can be planted outdoors, 

 however, in well enriched ground, and 

 grown a couple of years,, after which they 

 can again be used for forcing. In your 

 state I doubt if it would pay to bother 

 with plants in this way, when the low 

 price of imported plants is taken into 

 consideration. C. W. 



PANSIES FROM SEED. 



I should like to ask a favor of you. 

 Can you recommend a firm that has 

 good, reliable pansy seeds f I want the 

 giant kind, with flowers two and one- 

 nalf to three inches in diameter. What 

 '8 the name of the largest flowering 

 pansy! What is the best soil for pan- 

 sies set out in September for spring 

 flowering? I am a beginner in this 

 business. I want about 5,000 to 6,000 

 plants for next spring. How much seed 

 must I order? My location is southern 

 J^Iinnesota. F. S. 



There are a number of pansy spe- 

 cialists, advertising in The Review, 

 who can supply you with first-class 

 giant pansy seed. Look for what you 

 |\':int in the classified advertising a'lit- 

 "'} later in the season. A good strain 

 0! the giant Trimardeau is probably 



the best for all-around commercial pur- 

 poses, but almost every conceivable 

 type is now seen under this name. Do 

 not buy cheap seed; the best is the 

 cheapest in the long run. Other fine 

 strains are Gassier 's, Bugnot's and 

 Scotch. 



Seed sown late in July or quite early 

 in August, in a coldframe, will give you 

 excellent plants to carry over the win- 

 ter. If you sow outdoors, pulverize the 

 soil well. After covering the seed, 

 water it and then mulch with fine hay, 

 which must be removed as the seed- 

 lings appear. As you only want a few 

 thousand plants, I would advise sowing 

 in a coldframe and covering with a 

 shaded sash until the seedlings appear; 

 then give full light. Pansies winter 

 best in a coldframe, but can be kept 

 outdoors on ground with a slope, where 

 no water will stand. Mulch with straw 

 or meadow hay when the ground 

 freezes. You had better keep them in 



coldframes. Pansies love a light but 

 rich soil, containing plenty of well de- 

 cayed cow or horse manure. One ounce 

 of really good seed should give you 

 sufficient plants, but, to be on the safe 

 side, try half an ounce extra. C. W. 



WATER FBOM A COAL MINE. 



Can you give me any information in 

 regard to water that is pumped from 

 a coal mine into a tower and used for 

 city water? The people use it to water 

 the grass, but not to drink. Would it 

 hurt to use it for carnations and bed- 

 ding plants, or is there probably too 

 much sulphur in the water? 



H. J. W. R. 



The information given regarding the 

 nature of the water is rather meager, 

 but, if it is used freely upon the grass 

 without bad results, it does not appear 

 that it would do any harm to carna- 

 tions and bedding plants. 



WINTEB-FLOWEBINa SPENCERS. 



The interest in sweet peas, and the 

 importance of the sweet pea as a com- 

 mercial flower, have been greatly added 

 to since the advent of Countess Spencer. 

 Popular as was the sweet pea prior 

 to the arrival of that sportive variety, 

 the hold on the flower buying public 

 and the consequent importance to the 

 trade were slight as compared to the 

 present. Of course A. C. Zvolanek did 

 much to popularize the sweet pea when 

 he introduced his winter-flowering va- 

 rieties. Now that winter-flowering 

 Spencers are in sight, a still further up- 

 lift is anticipated. Quite a few grow- 

 ers have winter-flowering varieties of 

 the Spencer type, but none save Mr. 

 Zvolanek appears to have gone into 

 them in a large way. He showed them 

 at the National Flower Show at Boston 

 in the spring of 1911, when they were 

 about at the end of their season, and 

 since then he has been busy with this 

 type. The accompanying illustration 



shows a field of ten acres of winter- 

 flowering sweet peas of the so-called 

 orchid-flowering type which Mr. Zvol- 

 anek this year is growing at Lompoc, 

 Gal. The field contains sixty-four va- 

 rieties. The seed was planted in Jan- 

 uary and the first flowers opened about 

 March 25. A photograph was taken 

 on Memorial day. As soon as the type 

 is fixed, more or less of these varieties 

 will find their way into the trade. Mr. 

 Zvolanek thinks the Lompoc valley is 

 the best in the world for growing sweet 

 pea seed, notwithstanding that the cli- 

 mate is somewhat cool in the winter; 

 the temperature went down last winter 

 to 16 degrees and several times to 20 

 degrees, but the summer is ideal, seldom 

 over 80 in the daytime and never over 

 60 degrees at night. In the illustration 

 Mr. Zvolanek is standing at the left. 

 Near him is a Mr. Skach, and Mrs. 

 Skach stands at the right. Both are 

 sweet pea experts and Mr, Zvolanek 's 

 chief assistants. 



