120 



tWADREER MADMAN 1§f RELIABLE FLOWER SEEDTflJ j] 



DREER'S SELECT 



SWEET PEAS. 



Over one thousand named varieties of Sweet Peas 

 have been introduced in the last twenty-five years. 

 Many of this vast number are either small flowering, 

 of weakly growth, or lacking in some characteristic 

 which a first-class variety should have. Every year 

 our list is carefully revised, with a view tu keeping 

 it strictly up-to-date, and if you miss some old fa- 

 vorite in our list it has been discarded in favor of a 

 new and improved sort of the same color. 



Every variety we offer is entitled to a place in the 

 front rank of Sweet Peas; but as most amateurs only 

 wish a limited number of sorts, we have made 

 1^^ up collections comprising the very finest and 

 must distinct Orchid-flowered and Standard 

 sorts, which are fully described with other Special- 

 ties on pages 58 to 68. 



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 ihe au- 

 tumn, and during the winter months a good dreeing 

 of hard wood ashes or air-slaked lime should begiven 

 it. They should be in a position fully exposed to 

 the sunlight and air on both sides of the row. 



Much depends on the state of the weather as to 

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

 should be sown as early in the season as the giound 

 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 

 fuirow about six inches deep, in the bottom of which 

 sow 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 

 planted too close they do not attain their full devel- 

 opment. As soon as the plants are above the trench 

 the balance of the soil may be filled in. They 

 should be staked up either with branches of brush 

 or stout stakes on which wire netting has been fast- 

 ened. 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, or it may be done before filling in the trench. 



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. 



White-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 offered below have been made up by ourselves out of the finest named varieties, insuring a satisfactory result 

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

 dull and undesirable colors. 



Standakd Sweet Pea. Dokothy Eckfohd. 



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 121. They represent the 

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

 pkt.; 20 cts. per oz. ; 60 cts. per J lb.; $2.00 per lb. 



4270 Cupid, Dwarf or Bedding Hixed. 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; 10 cts. per oz. ; 30 cts. per } lb.; $1.00 per lb. 



MIXTURES 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 grow the various colors separate we have 

 prepared the following mixtures out of the finest named sorts: 



4254 Pink Shades. Light to deep pink. 



4255 Red Shades. Bright rose to dark scarlet. 



4256 Lavender and Blue Shades. Lavender to heliotrope. 

 42">7 Purple and Maroon Shades. All the dark colors. 



4258 White and Primrose Shades. All the delicate tints. 



4259 Striped Sorts. Various striped combinations. 

 Price, any of the above, 10 cts. per oz. ; 30 cts. per J lb.; 



$1.00 per lb. 



4269 Collection of one ounce each of the 6 shades, 50 cts. 



For Special Collections of Orchid-flowered and Standard Sweet Peas see Specialties, pages 58 to 68. 



