THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
JuLy 1, 1902. 
+t The 
Sweet Pea and the Swainsona, the former 
so much prized by florists for its varied 
and delicate hues, and the latter, pretty 
as it is, having the bad reputation for making 
horses “cranky.” The both belong to the im- 
portant orderof Leguminosz, so called because 
nearly all bear pods or legumes. The order 
comprises some 7,000 species, of which Aus- 
tralia possesses nearly 1,000, it is, in fact, one 
of our largest natural order. Of the Acacias 
alone Bentham describes 193 species; of 
the Swainsonas, 21. The flowers figured be- 
long to the Papilionaceous section, so 
named from a fancied resemblance ot 
a butterfly. In this section the pollen 
is shed and stored in the end of the 
keel, and if a sufficiently heavy insect 
or bird alights on a part of the flower 
suitable arranged for it the stamens 
push out the pollen with a jerk upon 
the insect or bird, to be carried to 
another flower for fertilizing purposes. 
Although the arrangements seem so 
well adopted for insect fertilization it 
is found that this does not commonly 
occur; perhaps the contrivance was 
more servicable in past ages than now. 
From observations made upon the well- 
known climber Kennedya nigricans, 
the ‘writer finds that here the fer- 
tilization is done by birds. When — 
the pollen is ready the dark incon- 
spicious flower suddenly opens and dis- 
closes two noticeable yellow streaks. 
If now pressure is applied in the 
proper place the pollen is jerked out: 
some inches. The N.Z. Clianthus 
is also bird fertilized. 
The pod-bearers are as useful as 
they are numerous. They serve for 
food (peas, beans, &cc.), for fodder 
(lucern), for medicine (senn). They 
furnish gum (acacia), dyes (log-wood), 
sweets (liquorice), resin (dragon’s blood), 
poisons (laburnum). They aro also 
of service to the farmer in another 
direction, for upon the roots of clover, 
&c., are foundnodules, sometimes 
as large as a pea, which contain in- 
numerable minute jorganisers called 
“ nitrogen-producing bacilli.” It is the action 
of these that brings about the improvement 
of land after a crop of peas. Now in Eng- 
land it is known that nitrogen must be added 
to the soil, but it is found not necessary in 
the northern areas of this State. Why? 
Because these bacilli only work in the brief 
period of warm weather in England, but all 
the year round here. © This a general state- 
ment, for the writer finds that in the Hills 
nitrogen is still needed, either in the form of 
nitrate of potash or sulphate of ammonia. 
Presumably the cold checks the work of the 
bacilli, although not so much as in England. 
One object of this magazine is not only to 
communicate and to exchange information, 
but to incite ous readers to observe for them- 
selves. Surely out of the #26 species of the 
Os illustrations this month are of the 
+ Pea + 
SWEET PEAS. 
Pea-tribe found in this State there must be 
many whose method of fertilization is worth 
noting and recording. Or even for practical 
purposes the nodula-bearing plants might be 
studied, for one might be found better than 
peas for developing the much-needed and 
valuable nitrogen.—‘“ S.” 
Two years ago a bi-centenary celebration 
of the introduction of the Sweet Pea into 
Great Britain was held, and created quite a 
craze for the growth of this beautiful flower. 
Sweet Pea.— Mont Blanc, 
A number of papers were read at the con- 
ference held during the Show, and we have 
pleasure in extracting from ‘‘ The Gardener’s 
Magazine” some of the interesting matter in 
the report of that excellent paper. 
At this Exhibition the best collection of 
24 bunches of Sweet Peas, distinct varieties, 
arranged in vases with light foliage, was com- 
posed of beautiful fnll flowers of Lovely, 
Countess of Radnor, Princess of Wales, 
Venus, Mars, Navy Blue, Triumph, Blanche 
Burpe, Black Night, Monarch, Queen Vic- 
toria, Prince Edward of York, Sadie Burpee, 
Aurora, Lady Nina Balfour, Blanche Ferry, 
Emily Eckford, Chancellor, Lady Mary 
Currie, Boreatton, Duchess of Sutherland, 
Lottie Hutchins, America and Princess of 
Wales. 
Tribe. t& 
“THE CLASSIFICATION OF SWEET PEA.” 
Mr. Wright, in his opening remarks at the 
Conference, expressed the opinion that the 
time had come for reducing chaos to order 
in the Sweet Pea, considering this would be 
gainsaid by very few cultivators. The re- 
markable development in this plant had lifted 
it to the position of a florists’ flower, and as 
such it demands to be defined and classified. 
Form or FLOWER. 
Proceeding, he said that when the parts of 
the Sweet Pea flower was considered magni- 
ficent raw material for floricultural ex- 
cellence was seen. What clay was 
there for the moulder’s hand! He 
could fill it with substance and 
perfect its outline. Teaching himself 
beforehand what perfection is, he 
could set himself to approach it with 
all the tenacity of his race. And 
when he had his ideal flower he could 
paint it with ascore of lovely hues. 
Many of the flowers which we have 
to-day are pleasing to the eye, but not 
satisfying to the mind. At a distance 
the gay, fluttering blossom is as win- 
some and enchanting as a butterfly, 
but a near inspection often reveals 
unevenness of outline, raggedness, 
notching, and kindred abominations, 
all of which must be swept away. 
With respect to hooding, Mr. Wright 
spoke in almost equally uncom- 
promising terms. While freely granting 
that some of the varieties which hood 
persistently were pleasing and pretty, 
he could ffut regard them as imper- 
fect. Hooding is inherently an imper- 
fection, because most varieties hood 
while immature, and again when past 
their best. As the hooders are a fairly 
numerous race, and include some of 
the prettiest peas, we must make a 
section of them, but in Mr. Wright’s 
judgment they were floriculturally on a 
lower grade than the erect flowers. 
It is doubtful whether posterity will 
find itself burdened with others than 
these two sections. It is true that 
there are numerous varieties at the 
present time which only hood _ slightly, 
and give many erect flowers, such, for 
example, as the beautiful whites Blanche 
Zurpee and Sadie Burpee, and these might 
be termed half-hooders or intermediates ; but 
once we decide to set up erectness as a 
standard of excellence, we find ourselves get- 
ting closer to it by selection. 
Then there is reflexing, but this bound to 
go. It is purely vicious, hopelessly re- 
actionary. It is characteristic of the old In- 
vincibles and Bicolors. ‘There is also notch- 
ing. This is a horrible disfigurement. Notch- 
ing 1s a feature of the old sorts—a relic of 
the black, barbaric days. Let us get away 
from it, breathing sighs of unspeakaffle re- 
lief. Some person has suggested that in the 
future we shall {get fringed flowers. When 
