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DREER'S SELECT 



SWEET PEAS. 



There are hundreds of both Orchid- flowered and 



Standard varieties of Sweet Peas, many of which 



are practically identical and still others which lack 



either size, purity of color, vigor or some other 



characteristic which all first-class sorts should have. 



It would be an easy matter for us to greatly extend 



our list; but we think it best to confine our offers to 



such sorts as are really first-class, and every variety 



__ we offer is entitled to a place in the front 



, '' rank of Sweet Peas. We also offer the very 



latest introductions, which are fully described 



with other Specialties on pages 58 and 59. 



How to Grow Sweet Peas. 



The soil for Sweet Peas should be rich and deep. 

 A good rich loam, with plenty of well-rotted manure 

 in it, is the ideal soil for raising good plants that 

 will produce plenty of blooms of good substance. 

 .Soils that are at all heavy are best dug in the au- 

 tumn, and during the winter months a gcod dress- 

 ing of hardwood ashes or air-slaked lime should be 

 given it. They should be in a pcsilion fully ex- 

 posed to the sunlight and air on both sides of the row. 

 Much depends on the stale of the weather as to 

 when the seed may be sown out of doors; but they 

 should be sown as early in the seascn as the ground 

 can be worked, which is usually between the mid- 

 dle of March and the middle of April in the latitude 

 of Philadelphia. It is best to make a trench or 

 furrow about six inches deep, in the liotlom of which 

 sov.' the seed. Cover with about an inch of soil, 

 pressing it down firmly. As soon as they are above 

 ground, thin out to two to four inches apart; when 

 pl.inted too close thev do not attain their full devel- 

 opment. They should be staked up tiiher with 

 branches of brush or stout stakes on which wiie 

 Standard S^vhet Pea, Dorothy Eckford. netting has been fastened. These should be at 



least four feet high, and five feet would be better. It is just as well to do the staking at the time of .sowing. 



During dry weather they should be watered thoroughly and frequently and given an application of liquid manure once a week. 

 A mulch of hay or rakings from the lawn will be found beneficial during hot weather. The flowers should be cut as often as pos- 

 sible, to prevent the plants from running to seed, which would stop them from continuing in bloom. 



AVhite-seeded varieties should not be sown until the ground is comparatively dry and warm. If sown under cold, wet conditions, 

 the seed will rot in the ground. With few exceptions. Sweet Peas are black-seeded, and these do not appear to be affected like 

 the white-seeded sorts. 



DREER'S MIXTURES OF SWEET PEAS. 



All of the mixtures ofl"ered below have been made up by ourselves out of the finest named varieties, insuring a satisfactory resuli 

 in color, and must not be confounded with cheap grades, which are harvested in mixture and always contain a large proportion ot 

 dull and undesirable colors. 



4252 Dreer's "Peerless" Mixture. Extraordinary care 

 has been taken in making this mixture, nothing but the 

 finest large-flowering standard varieties being used, and in 

 such quantities as to produce best color effect. The finest 

 mixture of Standard Sweet Peas offered. Pkt., 5 cts. ; 

 oz., 10 cts.; ^ lb., 30 cts.; lb., ,$1.00. 



4260 Dreer's Orchid=flowered Mixed. Read what we 

 say about this type on page 109. They represent the 

 highest achievement in Sweet Peas to date. 10 cts. per 

 pkt.; 20 ct.s. per oz.; 60 cts. per | lb.; §2.00 per lb. 



4270 Cupid, Dwarf or Bedding Mixed. Sown as a border 

 these form a line of emerald-green foliage a little over a 

 foot wide and from 5 to 6 inches high, and from June 

 until late summer are literally a sheet of bloom; excellent 

 for pot culture; the mixture contains all the colors. 5 cts. 

 per pkt.; 15 cts. per oz. ; 50 cts. per } lb.; $1.50 per lb. 



FIXTURES OF SEPARATE 

 SHADES. 



It is undeniable that a bunch of Sweet Peas of pink or white 

 or other colors which harmonize together is much more effective 

 than a similar bunch where all the colors are mixed together. 

 For such as prefer to gro" the various colors separate we have 

 prepared the following mi-xtures out of the finest named standard 

 sorts: 



4254 Pink Shades. Light to deep pink. ■ 



4255 Red Shades. Bright rose to dark scarlet. 



4256 Lavender and Blue Shades. Lavender to heliotrope. 



4257 Purple and Maroon Shades. All the dark colors. 



4258 White and Primrose Shades. .Ml the delicate tints. 

 42.59 Striped Sorts. Various striped combinations. 



Price, anv of the above, 15 cts. per oz. ; 50 cts. per \ lb.; 

 SI. 50 per lb.' 

 4269 Collection of one ounce each of the 6 shades, 75 cts. 



For Special Collections of Orchid-flowered and Standard Sweet Peas see Specialties, pages 51 to 60. 



