D. M. FERRY & CO., DETROIT, MICH 
87 
SWEET PEAS 
(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 iu bou¬ 
quets or for table decoration. 
Hundreds of varieties have been offered 
for sale by seedsmen but owing to recent 
marked improvements many sorts are de¬ 
cidedly inferior and have been dropped from 
our list. 
In describing varieties, by ‘‘standard” is 
meant the wide petal at the top of the flower; 
the “wings” are the two petals below. 
Extra Early Blanche Ferry and Earliest 
AV hite, being the earliest known varieties 
are excellent for growing indoors. 
For Outdoor Planting there are two 
general classes. The more extensive is the 
Grand if lora or large flowering division. This 
class, owing to its general vigor of growth, 
its freedom of blooming and extremely wide 
range of colors, is best suited for most 
conditions of growth and location. 
The Spencers are of exceptionally large 
size, the standard and wings waved or frilled 
and the general effect remarkably graceful 
and attractive. A characteristic of the best 
Spencers is an “open keel.” The petal or 
envelope enclosing the pistil, stamens and 
anthers is called the keel. In a typical 
Spencer flower grown under favorable condi¬ 
tions the anthers and stigma are not clamped 
together and the envelope of the keel is large 
and baggy and open at the top. The plants 
of Spencer varieties are usually in bloom 
much longer than other sweet peas, as most 
of the blossoms fall off after maturity with¬ 
out setting po<ls. The Spencers are decidedly 
shy seeders, hence the price will doubtless 
always be higher than for the older types 
In addition to these two classes which 
are generally recognized, there is also a third 
subdivision or class, called the Unwin type, 
in which the blossoms are waved like the 
Spencers but are not so large, although dis¬ 
tinctly larger than those or the (Jrandiflora 
type. The Unwins are frequently of heavier 
texture than the Spencers and are some¬ 
times more dependable for growing under 
adverse conditions. They seed more freely, 
hence are usually cheaper in price than the 
Spencers, but are dearer than the Cirandi- 
floras. The larger Unwin varieties which 
we list will be found in the Spencer division. 
Culture. 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 bottom, covering at 
first only one inch deep. Sweet Peas, particu¬ 
larly the white seeded sorts, are often 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 or sand 
in the bottom of the trench and sow the seed 
on this, covering with more sand. Cover the 
row with a board to shed the rain and protect 
the soil from the hot sun but remove tiiis as 
soon as the young plants appear. 
When the plants are two inches high, 
cultivate and as they grow gradually fill up 
the trench. W hen the plants are about five 
inches high it is desirable to furnish 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 satisfactory results. 
The roots should not be allowed to become 
too dry. Water applied thoroughly once or 
twice a week preferably early in the morning 
or in the evening, is usually better than light 
sprinkling more frequently. 
For the aphis or plant louse, spraying 
with solutions of some tobacco extract or 
whale-oil soap is usually effective; and for 
the Bed Spider, which also causes trouble at 
times, spraying with pure water is usually 
suttlcient A frequent change of location has 
also been found important. 
A better growth of vine and earlier bloom¬ 
ing often results from planting seed late in 
the fall instead of early in the spring. 
The blooms should be picked before they 
form pods or the plants will soon stop 
flowering 
Sweet Peas, White Spences 
