IN THE CHICAGO REGION 01 



place in this market. Following Roses and Carnations, 

 the Sweet Pea is a lively competitor for third place during 

 the Winter season when the best varieties are in. It is 

 displacing Violets and Valley, in many instances, for general 

 use, and for corsage effects it gives both of these old favorites 

 a close run. Each appears to be in the other's way. The 

 Violets sell best when Sweet Peas are scarce, and again 

 the Sweet Pea growers state that before and after the 

 Violet crops are on the market the Peas sell best. 



Sweet Peas can be grown in the greenhouses during 

 the Winter months to perfection in any soil that will grow 

 Carnations or Roses well. Some growers prefer a lighter 

 and more friable soil for the Peas than either, but this is a 

 point that each grower decides for himself. The type of 

 houses favored are those of high roofs with good ventila- 

 tion. The Sweet Peas sometimes get to be of considerable 

 height, and only houses with high roofs will accommodate 

 them. They are generally planted on solid beds in the 

 greenhouses that give them the full opportunity to utilize 

 all space from the beds to the glass. 



The Winter of 1 9 1 3- 1 4 was not a good one for the Sweet 

 Pea growers in this section on account of the dark, cloudy 

 weather that prevailed during the Midwinter months. The 

 Sweet Pea must have sunshine for its best development, 

 and the months of December and January of the past 

 Winter were notably lacking in this respect. This causes 

 the buds to drop, and an unusual shortage of supply was 

 caused during two months of the season when these would 

 have brought the best money. One prominent grower 

 stated that while he had two houses more of Sweet Peas 

 that Winter, his returns were not equal to what he re- 

 ceived the year previous with considerably less growing 

 capacity. Another large grower had decided not to plant 



