DREER'S SELECT 



SWEET PEAS. 



An authoritative English work on Sweet Peas- 

 enumerates over 800 varieties, and new sorts art 

 being added every year. Many of this vast numbei 

 are eitlier small-Howering, of weakly growth, oj 

 lacking in some characteristic which a first-class va 

 riety should have. Every year our list is carefullj 

 revised, with a view to keeping it strictly up-to-date 

 and if you miss some old favorite in our list it hat 

 been discarded in favor of a new and improved son 

 of the same color. 



Every variety we oflTer is entitled to a place in th» 

 front rank of Sweet Peas; but as most amateurs onh 



_^ wish a liniiled number of sorts, we have made 



up collections comprising the very finest and 

 most distinct Orchid-flowered and Standard 

 sorts, which are fully described with other Specialtie? 

 on pages 58 to G8. 



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 good dressing 

 of hardwood ashes or air-slaked lime should be given 

 it. They should be in a position fully exposed tc 

 the sunlight and air on both sides of the row. 



Much depends on the state of the weather as tc 

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

 should be sown as early in the season as the ground 

 can be worked, which is usually between the mid 

 die of March and the middle of Ajiril in the latitude 

 of Philadelphia. It is best to make a trench or fur 

 row about six inches deep, in the bottom of which 

 sow the seed ihitkly. Cover the seed with about 

 an inch of soil, jjressing it down firmly. As soon 

 as they are above ground, thin out to two to foui 

 inches apart; when planted too close they do not 

 attain their full development. As soon as the plants 

 are above the trench the balance of the soil may b« 

 filled in. They should be staked up either with 

 branches of brush or stout stakes on which wirt 



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, 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, and all withered blooms should be removed, to prevent the plants from running to seed, which would stop them front 



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 apjiear to be affected like th« 



white-seeded sorts. 



DREER'S MIXTURES OF SWEET PEAS. 



.\ll of the mixtures offered below have been made up by ourselves out of the finest named varieties, insuring a satisfactory resuh 

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

 dull and undesirable colors. 



Standaku Sweet Pea, Dokothv Eckfobd. 



42.52 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., 2o cts.; lb., 75 cts. 



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.; 15 cts. per oz. ; 40 cts. per j lb.; $1.25 per lb. 



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

 these torm 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. ; 25 cts. per I lb.; 75 cts. 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 eflTectiv* 

 than a similar bunch where all the colors are mixed together 

 For such as prefer to grow the various colors separate we hav« 

 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 Bhie Shades. Lavender to heliotrope 



4257 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. ; 25 cts. per J lb.; 78 



cts. per lb. 



4269 Collection of one ounce each of the six shades, 40 cts. 



For Special 0>Uectioiu of Orchid-flowered and Standard Sweet Peas see Specialties, pages 58 to 68. 



