84 THE PHILADELPHIA SECTION 



appearance just lately. Isn't the stem grand i Are not 

 the colorings beautiful, the fragrance all that could be 

 wished for, and don't the color combinations in baskets or 

 corsage bouquets give a sense of novelty and newness not 

 found in the stereotyped bunch of Violets ! This does not 

 mean that the Sweet Pea is a finer flower than the Violet: 

 it simply means that we are improving the Sweet Pea all 

 along. We are asking the public to take cognizance of it, 

 and they are supporting the florists liberally. 



The writer always did maintain it does not do for a 

 grower to place too much stress on one particular flower for 

 too great a length of time, unless there is a great market 

 which will appreciate it. The rules laid down by promi- 

 nent growers, such as Messrs. Sim and Zvolanek, are closely 

 followed by growers in this vicinity. They are given all 

 the attention that is detailed by the larger growers, and the 

 houses are just as large as may be afforded. 



IN THE PHILADELPHIA SECTION 



In Philadelphia and vicinity the growing of Winter 

 Sweet Peas is somewhat widely diffused, there being no 

 really large growers, in the modern sense of the word, who 

 specialize on them. A well known firm at Brandywine 

 Summit, Pa., some 30 or 40 miles from Philadelphia, 

 specializes on a very large scale, and has the reputation 

 of growing the finest quality. 



There is a continuous supply of Sweet Peas in the 

 markets of this city and this is maintained by sowings made 

 from time to time. The new Winter-flowering Spencers 

 are very greatly in favor, so much so, in fact, that the old 

 grandiflora types are almost unsalable. It is to be expected 

 that only the newer types will be grown soon. It is almost 

 impossible to name the favorite varieties, as they are all 



