10 JOURNAL OF THF, BOYATj HORTICULTURAL BOCIKTY, 



NEW SWEET PEAS. 

 By W. CUTHBEBTSON, J.P., F.E.H.S. 

 [Read February 20, 1912; Mr. W. A. Bilney, J.P., in the Chair.] 



By new sweet peas I mean the waved or Spencer type which came 

 before the pubUc for the first time at the exhibition of the National 

 Sweet Pea Society in London in 1901. It was shown by Mr. Silas 

 Cole, who was at that time gardener to Eael Spencer. The first of 

 the new race was named * Countess Spencer.' This variety is still 

 largely grown, and must be famiUar to most of those who grow sweet 

 peas. 



How it originated I must allow Mr. Cole to tell you in his own 

 words. Writing to me in January of last year, he said :^ — 



With respect to the origin of 'Countess Spencer,' I will tell 

 you what happened. Being always very fond of sweet peas, I turned 

 my attention specially to them in 1898. That summer I crossed 

 'Lovely' with 'Triumph,' saved the seed, and the following year, 

 1899, there were two or three promising things, the rest being rubbish. 



*' The good ones I crossed with 'Prima Donna,' and the next 

 season, that was 1900, there was one plant among the seedlings much 

 stronger than any of the others, which flowered much later than the 

 other varieties. That proved to be the original 'Countess Spencer,' 

 I just managed to save five seeds — one pod only. The following 

 Spring, after sowing them, I lost three of them in one night, eaten by 

 mice. The stock was thus reduced to two plants, but from them I 

 saved ninety seeds. It was from these plants I exhibited the flowers 

 at the old Eoyal Aquarium for the first time. In 1902 I sowed all 

 the seeds, and every one came true, but, owing to it being a wet 

 sijmmer, I only managed to save about 3,000 seeds. Two thousand 

 two hundred of these were sent, in 1903, to America to be grown for 

 stock by Mr. Sydenham. What came back from America was a mixture 

 of all sorts, no more like my true ' Countess Spencer ' than night is like 

 day. With me, ' Countess Spencer ' has never sported to this day. 

 It has thrown reversions; that is, it has reverted back to its parents, 

 such as ' Lovely ' and ' Triumph, ' and on rare occasions to ' Prima 

 Donna,' but nothing else. 



'• To my mind, that is not sporting. That is all there is to tell 

 about the origin of ' Countess Spencer.' " 



Unless it lies in the fact of Mr. Cole's crossing again in the 

 generation, and thus obtaining increased activity, or disturbance, 

 causing the plant to throw off or throw out the new form, I cannot 

 explain its appearance. 



Some colour is given to the theory, held by some, that ' Countess 

 Spencer ' was a simple mutation, by the fact that Mr. Eckford had 



