534 FRITZ BAHR'S COMMERCIAL FLORICULTURE 



Fig. 276. — ^Another House of Sweet Peas. For early or Midwinter flowering 

 you will be most successful with Sweet Peas planted in benches. For early Spring 

 flowers most growers prefer solid beds, in which case the seed is sown after the beds 

 are cleared of Chrysanthemums 



will make a great growth and start to flower in AprU with 18-in.-long 

 stems and wonderful flowers. The crop will be good until the end 

 of May and if you cannot sell every flower and make good money 

 on them, then nothing will sell. 



For Early Outdoor Flowers 



You can beat the. earliest outdoor-sown Sweet Peas by two 

 weeks or more if you sow in pots by the end of February or the first 

 of March. AUow about three plants to a 4-in. pot and if you need 

 the room they can be put in a coldframe by the middle of April, 

 hardened off a little, and planted out by the first of May. There are 

 times when the heat in the houses will cause these plants to run up 

 a little; instead of staking them, a better way is to cut them back, 

 for they will soon break from below again. I have seen Sweet Peas 

 planted out the last week in April and cut down by frost; but after 



