94 



M. FERRY & GO'S DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE 



SWEET PEAS 



One ounce of seed is sufficient to plant a single row of 50 feet 



{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 bouquets 

 or for table decoration. 



In describing varieties, by "standard" is meant the 

 wide petal at the top of the flower; the "■wings" are the 

 two petals below. 



The Grandiflora or large flowering type, owing to 

 its vigor of growth, its freedom of blooming and ex- 

 tremely wide range of colors is well suited for most 

 conditions of gro-wth and location. 



The Spencers are of exceptionally large size, the 

 standard and wings waved or frilled and the general 

 effect remarkably graceful and attractive. The plants 

 are of vigorous growth and remain in bloom for a 

 longer time than the Grandiflora sorts. The Spencers 

 are decidedly shy seeders, hence the price will doubt- 

 less always be higher than for the older types. 



Cu-lture. 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 bot- 

 tom, covering at first only one inch deep. Sweet Peas, 

 particularly the white seeded sorts, are ofte.n a little 

 difficult to start. If the soil is too dry they will 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 sov\' the seed on this. 

 covering with more sand. Cover the row with a board 

 to shed the rain and protect the soil from the not sun 

 but remove this as soon as the young plants appear. 



When the plants are two inches high, cultivate and 

 as they grow gradually fiU up tiie trench. When the 

 plants are about five inches high it is desirable to fur- 

 nish 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 satis- 

 factory results. 



The essentials for the largest and most finely 

 formed flowers are as follows: 



Planting as early in spring as possible, deep spading 

 or plowing; the placing of manure in the bottom of the 

 trenches to draw the roots downward; a sunny situa- 

 tion with the rows where possible running north and 

 south, the removal in the earlj' stages of growth of 

 all but two branches and thinning the plants to not 

 less than eight inches apart in the rows. 



The roots should not be allowed to become too dry. 

 Water applied thoroughly once or twice a Aveek, pre- 

 ferably early in the morning or in the evening, is 

 usually better than light sprinkling more frequently. 



The blooms should be picked before they form 

 pods or the plants will soon stop flowering. 



Fall Planting. A better growth of vines and earlier 

 blooming often result from planting seed in the fall 

 instead of early spring. If a well drained sandy soil 

 is selected this method may usually be depended upon 

 to give satisfactory results even in the Northern states. 



Preparation of the soil is the same as that for 

 spring planting. The seeds should be sown about an 

 inch or two apart in rows about three inches deep, and 

 firmly covered with soil which should be somewhat 

 ridged above the rows to improve drainage. The most 

 important point in fall planting of Sweet Peas is to 

 plant late enough so that plants will not appear above 

 the surface of the soil before freezing weather sets in. 

 Plantings are usually made in the latitude of Detroit 

 from the 1st to the 15th of November. After the ground 

 freezes the rows should be covered with a mulch of 

 litter or manure. Upon approach of warm weather in 

 the spring the rows should be examined and if plants 

 have started the mtilch may be removed either wholly 

 or in part, leaving it between the rows or near at hand 

 so that it may be replaced in case of a cold wave or 

 sudden change of temperature. 



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 

 sufficient. A frequent change of location has also 

 been found important. Spencer Sweet Peas 



