HISTORY AND EVOLUTION 51 



grower must destroy promptly and thor- 

 oughly the withered flowers. 



An English sweet pea expert has con- 

 cisely summarized sweet pea culture as 

 follows : 



"Sweet Pea Culture, condensed in these 

 words. Trench deeply; manure liberally; 

 plant thinly; stake quickly; water freely; 

 dispod promptly." 



Marketing 



Picking. The ideal time to pick sweet 

 peas is two or three hours before they are 

 needed or are to be placed on the market. 

 This length of time is the period the 

 blooms should remain in water. During 

 this period many varieties will improve in 

 size and color, and of course it is desirable 

 to have flowers at their best when they are 

 to be sold. 



If the flowers are to be shipped to mar- 



