FERRY & CO., DETROIT, MICH, 



87 



SWEET PEAS 



(Lathyrus odoratus) No garden is too small for a row of Sweet Peas and no estate, however extensive or magnificent, should 

 fail to include many varieties of this most popular flower. Its long blooming season usually extends from early summer until 

 very hot dry weather and no other climber 

 equals it for cutting, either for use in bou- 

 quets or for table decoration. 



Hundreds of varieties have been offered 

 for sale by seedsmen but owing to recent 

 marked improvements many sorts are de- 

 cidedly inferior and have been dropped from 

 our list. 



In describing varieties, by "standard" is 

 meant the wide petal at the top of the flower; 

 the "wings" are the two petals below. 



Extra Early Blanche Ferry and Earliest 

 White, being the earliest known varieties 

 are excellent for growing indoors. 



For Outdoor Planting there are two 

 general classes. By far the more extensive 

 is the Qrandiflora or large flowering division 

 which, aside from the Spencer types, com- 

 prises practically all of the varieties we list. 

 This class, owing to its general vigor of 

 growth, its freedom of blooming and ex- 

 tremely wide range of colors, is best suited 

 for most conditions of growth and location. 



TKe Spencer Types are of exceptionally 

 large size, the standards and wings waved or 

 frilled and the general effect remarkably 

 graceful and attractive. Undoubtedly the 

 flnest Sweet Peas yet developed are found in 

 this class. They are usually in bloom much 

 longer than other sweet peas, as most of the 

 blossoms fall off after maturity without 

 setting pods. All Spencers are decidedly shy 

 seeders, hence the price will doubtless always 

 be considerably higher than for the older 

 types. We offer on page 88 what we consider 

 to be the best varieties yet introduced of th3 

 Waved or Spencer class and we recommend 

 them unreservedly. 



In addition to these two classes ■ which 

 are generally recognized, there is also a third 

 subdivision or class, called the Unwin type, 

 in which the blossoms are waved like the 

 Spencers but are not so large, altliough dis- 

 tinctly larger than those of the Grandiflora 

 type. The Unwins are frequently of heavier 

 texture than the Spencers and are some- 

 times more dependable for growing under 

 adverse conditions. They seed more freely, 

 hence are usually cheaper in price than the 

 Spencers, but are dearer than the Grandi- 

 floras. The larger Unwin varieties which 

 we list will be found in the Spencer division. 



Culture. Early in spring make a trench 

 three to four inches deep in rich,mellow soil, 

 so arranged that no water can stand in it and 

 plant the seed in the bottom, covering at 

 iirst only one inch deep. Sweet Peas, particu- 

 larly the white seeded sorts, are often a little 

 difflcultto start.- If tlie soil is too dry they 

 wiU remain a long time without germinating; 

 if it is too wet and cold they will not sprout 

 at all. In soils at all heavy, or composed 

 largely of clay, put about one inch of sand 

 in the bottom of the trench and sow the seed 

 on this, covering with more sand. Cover the 

 row with a board to shed the rain and protect 

 the soil from the hot sun but remove this as 

 soon as the young plants appear. 



When the plants are two inches high, 

 cultivate and as they grow gradually fill up 

 the trench. When the plants are about five 

 Inches high it is desirable to furnisli some 

 support for the vines to run upon, preferably 

 a wire netting firmly supported by stakes to 

 prevent sagging, but strings or brush are 

 often used with satisfactory results. 



The roots should not be allowed to become 

 too dry. Water applied thoroughly once or 

 twice a week preferably early in the morning 

 or in the evening, is usually better than light 

 sprinkling more frequently. 



For the aphis or plant louse, spraying 

 with solutions of some tobacco extract or 

 whale-oil soap is usually effective; and for 

 the Red Spider, which also causes trouble at 

 times, spraying with pure water is usually 

 suflScient. A frequent change of location has 

 also been found important. 



A better growth of vine and earlier bloom- 

 ing often results from planting seed late in 

 the fall instead of early in the spring. 



The blooms should be picked before they 

 form pods or the plants will soon stop 

 flowering. Sweet Peas White Spencer 



