HOUSE AND GARDEN 
175 
March, 1914 
M rs. Hugh Dickson, a delicate cream pink Spencer of 
the finest type, graceful, but not too loosely formed 
useless. Scrape 
surface soil from 
between the rows 
to a depth of nine 
inches, and make 
this the founda- 
t i o n . Fill the 
trench with good 
soil, mixed with 
well-rotted stable 
manure. Some ad¬ 
vise plain super¬ 
phosphate mixed 
with this soil, 
about a pound for 
every foot of 
trench. If the 
ground is in good 
condition this is 
not necessary. An 
additional protect¬ 
ive measure is 
sprinkling a small 
amount of fine lime 
over the surface as 
a preventive against cut-worm pests. This is often done in the 
fall, and is ready for either spring or fall planting. The recent 
developments of soil inoculation 
are of value wth the culture of 
sweet peas, in that the qualities of 
nitrogen fixing bacteria that may 
be purchased add materially to the 
growth of sweet peas—a legumi¬ 
nous crop. 
Next for the actual sowing. 
Very often the seeds are sowed in 
the autumn and lie dormant until 
spring awakes them. They are 
sowed about five inches deep and 
thicker than the spring sown. 
When sown in the spring they 
must be put out as early as pos¬ 
sible—as soon as the soil can be 
properly worked. If a small 
trench is run, about four inches 
deep and of a little greater width, 
and the seeds are scattered thinly 
over this area and then firmed 
tightly, good results will follow. 
But the latest system to be devel¬ 
oped with considerable success is 
pot sowing in the ordinary three 
or four-inch pot, using a lighter 
soil than that where the plants are 
eventually to grow, sowing four 
or five seeds. In the greenhouse, a 
well-protected cold-frame, or a 
mild hotbed, these pots may be set 
out toward the end of the winter. 
Greater warmth will cause the 
early flourishing of the plants, but 
they should be kept as stockv as 
possible. These may be set out from the middle of March as late 
as the first part of May at intervals, so that there may be a succes¬ 
sion of bloom. Begin early, but not recklessly early. Without 
disturbing the roots, plant these clumps from the pots in the pre¬ 
The original type bore but two blossoms to a stem. 
This is Margaret Madison, with four, an exquisite pale 
lavendar 
A recent prize winner, the new cream pink Margaret Atlee. Note how 
loosely flowing and wavy are the standards and wings 
pared soil. Allow 
about a foot and a 
half between 
clumps. With the 
new paper pots the 
plants may be 
thinned out in the 
cold-frame to the 
standardized 
growth, and then 
put in a permanent 
position without 
disturbing the 
roots. When sown 
outdoors, thin the 
plants to distances 
of five or six inches 
apart — space 
counts for strong 
growth. W h e n 
pots are set out, 
or when spring- 
planted seeds need 
thinning, prepare 
your supports. The 
majority say use brush. Twigs cut from underbrush are de¬ 
cidedly successful, and the vines clamber over them until they 
are well covered. Chicken wire 
stretched behind the rows is win¬ 
ning in favor. It it, at least, a lit¬ 
tle less disorderly. The advice, 
“buy the best seed from reputable 
dealers" is truly worth while with 
sweet peas. The slight extra ex¬ 
pense is a saving, and do not 
blame the dealer for some lack of 
results. You may find that the 
seeds themselves need chipping or 
soaking. The darker colored flow¬ 
ers have extremely thick shells, 
and when spring planting or 
planting in pots is resorted to, this 
shell should be chipped with the 
knife, exposing the embryo, but 
being careful not to cut the ele¬ 
mentary rootlet part. Some soak 
the seeds in hot water over night 
and gain good results. For fall 
planting this is not necessary. 
When the plants are once up, 
all your care is a little stirring of 
the soil; frequent and copious ap¬ 
plications of water and liquid ma¬ 
nure at intervals. The enemies 
you need to combat are aphids 
and mildew. Your tobacco emul¬ 
sion will drive away the aphids, 
and a dusting of soot before flow¬ 
ering and once a month will act as 
a mildew preventive. Attack mil¬ 
dew with Bordeaux Mixture. 
A final warning: When you 
seek for the garden position of sweet peas, don't stick them up 
against a brick wall where they will be burned in July and xAugust, 
and let them have some little shade during the “dog days.” Also, 
(Continued on page 221 ) 
