occasional tie prevents them from falling away from the brush 
should the tendril fail to cling. 
Disbudding The most important point in producing good Sweet Peas is 
close and constant attention to thinning and dis-budding. A 
plant left to grow naturally will produce upwards of six to ten 
vines. These in turn make a lateral growth and if the plant is 
not restricted in the number of vines allowed to develop, a mass 
of growth is the result with flowers in abundance, but small and 
with short stems. Modern culture calls for the selection of the 
strongest of these vines and limiting the number to three, four 
or five. To remove more than half the plant seems severe but 
it is necessary, and furthermore all lateral growths are removed 
from those vines which are retained and must be constantly 
removed all through the season. It is a good practice to take off 
a few of the earliest formed flower buds too, when the vines 
are not strong and vigorous. 
Watering By this time the vines should be copiously watered probably 
twice a week depending on the rainfall. A good mulch of half- 
rotten leaves or other suitable material is advisable as hot 
weather approaches; this not only checks evaporation from the 
soil but helps to keep the roots cool. It is the hot weather which 
we experience which makes Sweet Pea culture so much more 
difficult here than in the cooler climate of Great Britain. 
Fertilizer Hot weather will bring green aphis and red spider too; for 
this latter pest, clear water applied with sufficient force to the 
under surface of the leaves will minimize the harmful effects. 
From now on, additional fertilizer will be necessary, but more 
harm is done by excessive feeding than by too little. Any 
fertilizer with a reasonably high potash content is suitable, and 
Scotch soot is helpful if applied once a week. Guard against 
applying fertilizer when the ground is dry, water with clear 
water first and again afterwards, washing the fertilizer well 
down to the roots. Do not overlook the importance of removing 
all dead flowers, the development of the seed-pod is a serious 
drain on the plants resulting in a short flowering period and 
doing away with the good long stem essential for decorative 
purposes. 
Appended is a list of Sweet Peas classified by the Floral 
Committee of the National Sweet Pea Society of England which 
is very largely responsible for the wonderful development of 
this lovely flower. It will be quite safe to select any variety 
named in this list; I have grown nearly all of them in the past 
few years. Most of them can be bought from Charles Elliot, 
Park Ridge, Illinois, who includes the best of them in his catalog 
for 1922. He is a Sweet Pea specialist and deals exclusively 
in this seed. 
John Carman. 
Superintendent for Mrs. James M. Schoonmaker, Sewickley. 
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