INTRODUCTION II 



What has the future in store ? and prophesied in these words: 

 " To my mind it will bring forth things which have never 

 been dreamed of. Already we have had a glimpse of what 

 is coming by the new true double flowers. These are 

 quite different from the duplex type. They are most 

 wonderful flowers, and will rival the most expensive orchid, 

 perhaps not only in beauty but in price, as the seeding 

 qualities are very light. Then in the early flowering sec- 

 tion I look for good, fixed Spencer flowers in colors suitable 

 for florists, and with the desirable qualities of the early 

 flowering varieties of the past. There is yet much room for 

 improvement in this section and an idea of what is to 

 come can be had from the Australian variety Yarrawa 

 Spencer." 



A year or two ago, in delivering his presidential address 

 to the American Sweet Pea Society, William Sim, Clif- 

 tondale, Massachusetts, observed that " a better exhibi- 

 tion of Sweet Peas could be made in March and April 

 than in July. The Sweet Pea industry has been created 

 in which many hundreds, or it may be thousands, of people 

 are engaged, and calling for a very considerable expenditure 

 of money." He further expressed the opinion that when 

 the early flowering or Winter type is fully developed it will 

 be the leading one, both for outdoor and under glass. He 

 was speaking strictly, of course, of conditions in the 

 Eastern United States; his opinions, however, have not gone 

 uncontested. 



The Sweet Pea is delightful in every sense of the 

 word. It is graceful, beautiful and fragrant (and one 

 sincerely hopes that raisers of new kinds will not perpetuate 

 scentless varieties), and it is obtainable in a wide range of 

 lovely colors, so that it is destined to remain one of the 

 most popular of all our flowers. 



