D. M. FERRY & CO., WINDSOR, ONT. 
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 earn* summer until 
very hot dry weather and no other climber 
equals it for cutting, either for use in 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 
White, being the earliest known varieties 
are excellent for growing indoors. 
For Outdoor Planting there are two 
general classes. By far the more extensive 
is the (irandiflora or large flowering division 
which, aside from the Spencer types, com¬ 
prises practically all of the varieties we list. 
This class, owing to its general vigor of 
growth, its freedom of blooming and ex¬ 
tremely wide range of colors, is best suited 
for most conditions of growth and location. 
The Spencer Types are of exceptionally 
large size, the standards and wings waved or 
frilled and the general effect remarkably 
graceful and attractive. Undoubtedly the 
finest Sweet Peas yet developed are found in 
this class. They are usually in bloom much 
longer than other sweet peas, as most of the 
blossoms fall off after maturity without 
setting pods. All Spencers are decidedly shy 
seeders, hence the price will doubtless always 
be considerably higher than for the older 
types. We offer on page 88 what we consider 
to be the best varieties yet introduced of the 
Waved or Spencer class and we recommend 
them unreservedly. 
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 ol the G rand i flora 
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 Grandi- 
fioras. 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 of 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 this as 
soon as the young plants appear. 
When the plants are two inches high, 
cultivate and as they grow gradually fill up 
the trench. When 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 Red Spider, which also causes trouble at 
times, spraying with pure water is usually 
sufficient. 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 m the spring. 
The blooms should be picked before they 
form pods or the plants will soon stop 
flowering. Sweet Peas, White Spencer 
