January 6, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE, 



3 



in the grandiflora type, but even this fine 



PROGRESS IN" SWEET PEAS, variety is surpa.sse<l by such excellent varie- 

 ties as Maud Holmes and Sunproof Crim- 

 In penning a few notes on the progress ^^^^^ ^he scarlet* sweet pea is a much iaier 



introduction than the Crimson and Scarlet 



real scarlet 



of sweet peas, I do not think it necessary 

 to make comparisons -with varieties nioi-e 



arch, Scarlet Emperor, Ued Star, George 

 Stark Improve<l^ and Doris Burt are all 

 varieties that show a decided advance even 

 on Queen Alexandra. 



Anions: "white varieties the advance made 



Gem 



than ten or twelve years old, for even in that 



this short space of time, the progress and 

 development has been so great that varie- 

 ties holding high place are very seldom seen 

 now, and certainly they are not Avorth grow- 

 ing with the grand varieties of to-day, I 

 imagine a great many of our present sweet 

 pea enthusiasts never knew the varieties 

 introduced, say, fifteen years ago, which 

 tends to show the raj)id advance made^ and 

 how quickly one variety 

 other. 



supersedes an- 



Just now it is a good variety in- 

 ileed that can hold its position at the head 

 of any colour class for more than two or 



tla-ee vears. 



The formation of the National SAveet Pea 

 Society some eleven years ago has, without 

 the slightest doubt, been one of the great 

 factors in this development. But the 



greatest factor was the introduction at that 

 time of some of the finest varieties in the 

 old grandiflora type by Henry Eckford. 

 Many will urge that it was the advent of 

 Countess Spencer that caused such a boom 

 in our favourite floAver ; this A'ariety, no 

 doubt, gave it a filip, but I firmly believe 

 that without this change in form, the boom 

 in sweet peas would still have been the 

 same, for we were annually receiving dis- 

 tinct advances in all shades of colour^ as 

 well as in the size and substance of the 

 blooms, and, Avhat was more necessary for 

 the development of any particular flower, 

 the general public were just realising the 

 utility of the flower from a decorative point 

 of view, and the great pleasure that could 

 1)0 derived from the cultivation of a few 

 rows or even clumps. 



Not many years ago classes for sweet 

 ]-eas at summer shows Avere far from numer- 

 <;us, but now AA^e haA'e sCA-eral classes at 

 all the principal sIioaa^s, arranged to suit 

 groAA-ers of OA^ery description, and the sAveet 



tent at manv of them proves the 



])ea Lent at many 

 centre of interest. 



proA^es 

 The number of sweet 

 peas exhibited AAOuld, I am siu-e, compare 

 favourably Avith that of any otlier floAver. 

 so that the compilers of schedules have not 

 only helped their OAvn particular shoAV. but 

 also added to the popidarity and progress 

 of the SAA^eet pea. 



In revioAving A\arieties one has perforce 

 to compare the present-day Spencer form 

 Avith the grandiflora type, and, speaking 



Ave may say there has been a 

 AA onderf nl all-round improvement. The 

 size of the floAA^er has considerably increased, 

 which is a decided 

 thei'e 



generally 



is no 

 leniith of 



adA'antage (])roviding 

 loss in quality or colour) ; the 

 stem of the Spetrcer form is 

 greater than in the old type, Avliich makes 

 the spikes more useful as decoratiA^e sub- 

 jects, and, of late, Ave have had varieties 

 introduced that could hardly be surpassed 

 for their brilliancy of coloiirii 

 in the orange, salmon, scarlet, 

 son shades, AAdiilst 

 such as blue 



notably 

 and 



cr m- 



in the softer colours, 

 as t>lue, pink, laA-ender, and mauve, 

 Ave have A^arieties almost innumerable, many 

 of them of most pleasing shades, and not 

 n fcAV of them having tAA'o or three distinct 

 shades of colour in tiiem, which greatly en- 

 hances their decorative A'alue. 



Awhile making a fcAV comparisons in the 

 different colour classes, I do not infer that 

 the A-arieties Avill be best at the present 

 time, but that they Avill be among the best 

 in their respective" classes. One of the best 

 crimsons that I remember of about fifteen 

 years ago Avas a variety called Ignia ; this 

 Avas improA'ed upon tAA'o or three times by 

 further introductions from the Eckfords. 



(Eckford), 

 I remember 



the first 



; this Avas superseded by 

 the variety Queen Alexandra some three 



is not so pronounced 



Emilv Henderson 



Avas a A'ariety of the grandiflora type that 

 stood for some considerable time, but Avas 



■*<--r - - • J." 



( 



I 



n J L 



--- -i 



1 



SWEET PEA HERCULES. 



1 b?autiful variety raised by Messrs. Stark and Son; the floAA'ers large, and the colour 



rich pink. 



A'cars later, a A'arietv Avhich has held its 

 OAvn longer than most, oAving to the diffi- 



culty that has been exi)erienced in breed- 

 ing a reall}^ sunproof Scarlet Spencer form, 

 but the last tAA*o years have seen a remark- 

 able adA^ance in this colour, for Ave noAv 

 hiJA'e soA'eral really first-cla^s A-arieties to 

 pick from, though, as might be expected, 



King EdAvard VIE being probably the best they ara \^ery much alike, and Scarlet Mon- substiime. 



cA-entually superseded by Dorothy Eckfor<l 

 in 1902 or 1903, and though Ave haA e plenty 

 of Avhites in the Spencer ' orm, I do t 

 think Ave have yet one of the quality and 

 substance of Dorothy Eckford ; Etta Dvke 

 is excellent, but Ave Avant a flower Avith a 

 better standard, or, at least^ that Avill ^U'^av 

 itself off better, and Avith a little more 



Dark Blue is the one colour that. 



