Growing Sweet Peas 
for Exhibition 
By William Gray, Rhode Island. 
^r 
HE Sweet Pea being 
a strong deep-root- 
ing plant loving a 
'eep well-drained soil, rich 
humus and retentive of 
moisture, suggests the need 
in 
of deeply 
thoroughly 
trenching 
enriching: 
and 
the 
The 
President — Color, a bril- 
liant »lozeinz scarlet. 
ground for its culture, es- 
pecially when the aim is to 
secure flowers of superior 
quality for exhibition. 
The trenching of the 
ground should be done in 
the fall to a depth of 3 ft. 
and thoroughly enriched, 
with manure, bone and 
wood-ashes, a dressing of 
lime being also given if the 
ground is deficient in that 
respect. The addition of 
garden refuse of any kind 
such as leaves, lawn Tak- 
ings, etc.. in fact, anything 
Floradale Fairy — Color, 
rich cream. 
of a vegetable nature that 
will decay and provide 
humus, will greatly aid in bringing a poor sub- 
soil up to a good state of cultivation. Unless 
the ground has been previously trenched and 
enriched it is not advisable to bring the sub- 
soil to the top, as owing to its poorer quality 
young plants at 
the 
Fiery Crass — Color, fiery red. 
or rich orange-scarlet. 
a check might be given 
the start. 
Where only one row is planted the ground 
should be trenched at least 3 ft. wide, the 
length of the row, but where a plot is devoted 
to them it is best to trench the whole plot, as 
this provides better drainage and the ground 
keeps more uniformly moist than when 
trenched where the rows are to be planted 
and hard untrenched ground left between. If 
sufficient manure is not available for the en- 
richment of the whole plot the three-foot sec- 
tion, where the rows come, can be well en- 
riched, leaving a three-foot wide section to 
be enriched the following year, and the rows 
changed over to occupy the same, thus provid- 
ing a change of ground. 
Experience has taught us that many of the hardy 
annuals attain greater perfection when sown earlv under 
glass, and transferred to the open ground from pots or 
flats, the reason being that a much "stronger root svstem 
is established before rapid growth commences. ' This 
method has been found to work well with the Sweet Pea 
and growers striving for the best results now sow the 
seed during the latter part of January or the first part 
of February in three-inch 
pots, one seed to a pot. 
White-seeded varieties, 
being inclined to rot under 
wet and cool conditions, 
should be sown in a light 
sandy compost made moist 
enough so that very little 
watering is re- 
q u i r e d until 
germination has 
taken place. I 
find the best 
plan to sow in 
pans, pressing the seed in lightly and covering 
with sand, afterward transferring the young 
plants to the pots. Any good potting compost 
will do for black-seeded varieties and they should 
receive a thorough watering on being sown, suffi- 
cient to keep them moist until germination has 
taken place. 
Occasionally a variety may not germinate 
through having a very hard shell and if the seed 
of a variety that has not come up is still hard and 
sound a small piece chipped out of the shell of seed 
will cause it to germinate by allowing the moist- 
ure to penetrate. After germination has taken 
place the aim should be to bring the young plants 
along slowly in a cool temperature, no effort 
being made to encourage growth. 
A warm temperature will cause 
the plants to break weak and 
no hardening up afterward will 
make them equal the results to 
be had from cool thrifty grown 
stock. Plants started in green- 
houses, unless the temperature 
can be kept low enough to suit 
deep 
Id-; <il 
Purple -( olor, 
rosy purple. 
rich 
them, should be re- 
moved to cold 
frames as soon as 
they are well above 
ground. Plants in 
frames will require to 
be protected well on 
cold nights with mats 
119 
i herub — Color, deep ivory white, 
edged zeitli bright rose. 
