/^

'^l^.^^LLAN LIBRARY
^^TORAGE ITEM

LPI-BI2C

UBC LIBRARIES

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#

EDITED BY

R. HOOPER PEARSON
MANAGING EDITOR
OF THE GARDENERS'
CHRONICLE

A LIST OF VOLUMES
IN THE SERIES IS
GIVEN ON THE NEXT
PAGE

Present-Day Qardening

List of Volumes in the Series.

1. SWEET PEAS. By Horace J. Wright, late Secre-

tary and Chairman of the National Sweet Pea Society.
With Chapter on "Sweet Peas for Exhibition" by Thos.
Stkvensoh. [Revised 1913.)

2. PANSIES, VIOLAS AND VIOLETS. By William

CuTHBERTSON, J. P., and R. Hooper Pbarsoh.

3. ROOT AND STEM VEGETABLES. By Alexandbr

Dban, V.M.H., Chairman of the National Vegetable Society.

4. DAFFODILS. By Rev. J, Tacob, Secretary of the

Midland Daffodil Society, with Preface by the Rev. W.
WiLKS, M.A., Secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society.

5. ORCHIDS. By James O'Brien, V.M.H., Secretary

3f the Orchid Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society.

6. CARNATIONS AND PINKS. By T.H.Cook Head

Gardener to Queen Alexandra at Sandringham Jambs
Douglas, V.M.H. ; and J. F. M'Leod, Head Gardener to
Mr. J Pierpont Morgan.

7. RHODODENDRONS AND AZALEAS. (The first

popular volume published on this subject.) By William
Watson, A.L.S., Curator of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew,
with Preface by Sir Fred. W. Moore. M.A., A.L.S., V.M.H.

8. LILIES. By A. Grove, F.L.S., with Preface by

H.J. Elwes, f.r.S.

9. APPLES AND PEARS. By George Bunyard,

V. A H. , Chairman of Fruit and Vegetable Committee of RoyaJ
Horticultural Society.

ID. ROSES. By H. R. Darlington, Vice-President of

National Rose Society. (Double volume.)

11. IRISES. By W. Rickatson Dykes, M.A., L.-^s-L.

With Preface by PiiorBSSOR I. Baylky Balfour, D.Sc..
F.R.S-.i&'c.

12. ANNUALS, HARDY AND HALF-HARDY. By

C. H. Curtis Hon. Sec. of the National Sweet Pea Society.

13. CHRYSANTHEMUMS. By Thomas Stevenson,

with chapters by C. Harman Payne and Charles E. Shea.

14. TULIPS- {The first volume on the subject in the

English language.) By Rev. J, Jacob, Member of R.H.S.
Narcissus and Tulip Committee.

15. THE ROCK GARDEN. By Reginald Farrer,

Author of "Among the Hills," "My Rock Garden," "In a
Yorkshire Garden, <S^c., with Preface by J. Brbtland
Farmer, D.Sc, F.R.S

16. DAHLIAS. By George Gordon, V.M.H., President

of the National Dahlia Society.

17. CLIMBING PLANTS. By William Watson,

Curator of Royal Botanic Gardeni, Kew. With introduction
by W. Robinson-

These will be followed by volumes on Trees and Shrubs,
Window Gardens, Paeonies, Primulas, Cucumbers,
Melons, Bedding Plants, Hardy Herbaceous Plants,
Ferns, Tomatoes, Bulbous Plants, Peaches and Nec-
tarines, Vmes, Stove and Greenhouse Plants, &c.

PLATE I {Frontispiece)

FIFTEEN VARIETIES SHOWING VARIATION IN
COLOUR AND FORM

Digitized by the Internet Archive

in 2010 with funding from

University of British Columbia Library

http://www.archive.org/details/sweetpeasOOwrig

(By HoT2acGl. WJrian^

REVISED EDITION 19-14

PREFACE

One of the most remarkable facts in relation to present-day
flower gardening is the development and popularisation of
the Sweet Pea, which has gained for itself a position never
previously held by a purely annual species. The claim of
the Sweet Pea, therefore, for representation in the present
series could not be overlooked.

The author, Mr. Horace J. Wright, is well known as the
first secretary of the National Sweet Pea Society, and later as
Chairman of the General and Executive Committees of that
body. He has been connected most intimately with all the
circumstances which have attended the development of the
flower ; therefore his experience is exceptional. It is this very
experience which induced Mr. Wright to ask Mr. Thomas
Stevenson to contribute a chapter on the special culture
needed for exhibition flowers, for Mr. Wright's management
of the N.S.P.S. exhibitions has impressed him with the value,
in exhibition culture, of small details to which other culti-
vators need pay but little regard. Mr. Stevenson's extra-
ordinary successes at the competitive exhibitions should

viii PREFACE

make his advice invaluable to those who desire to emulate
his example.

Acknowledgments are made to Messrs. Dobbie and Co.,
who very kindly provided the flowers photographed in the
plates. All the varieties are shown very much reduced in

size.

THE EDITOR.

PREFACE TO REVISED EDITION

In the present edition the Lists of Varieties have been
thoroughly revised, with a view to bringing them into
perfect accord with present-day gardening.

THE EDITOR.

CONTENTS

Introduction .

CHAP.

I. Historical Notes .
II. The Three Great Groups

III. Making New Varieties .

IV. General Culture .
V. Seed Sowing .

VI. Culture under Glass .
VII. Sweet Peas for the Garden
VIII. Sweet Peas for Decorations
IX. Cupid and Bush Varieties
X. Enemies and Diseases .
XI, Fifty Standard Varieties
XII. In the Library

XIII. Culture of Sweet Peas for Exhibition

XIV, A Word or two to Judges .

PAGB
I

4
II

19

22

39
61

64
66
68
70
80
86
89
"3

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

I. Fifteen Varieties showing Variation in

Colour and Form .... Frontispiece

II. Helen Lewis

III. Evelyn Hemus .

IV. Queen Alexandra
V. Mrs. Hugh Dickson

VI. Clara Curtis
VII. Sunproof Crimson
VIII. Masterpiece

rACB

25
41

57

73

91

103

SWEET PEAS

INTRODUCTION

The Sweet Pea is the first garden flower of the present
day. It is found abundantly in the unpretentious garden
of the cottager, the less simple garden of the amateur, the
smart garden of villadom, and the elaborate and extensive
gardens of the opulent and noble. In the restricted areas
called town gardens the Sweet Pea has its place, just as
it has in the more congenial gardens attached to rural
homes. The plants will not flourish with the same ex-
cellence in the enclosed garden as in those which get the
benefit of pure country air, but they will nevertheless yield
a generous return in any circumstances for the labour
and love bestowed upon them.

Whether the particular object of culture is to decorate
the garden, provide flowers for brightening and giving
fragrance to the house, or entirely for the purpose of getting
flowers for the exhibitions, the Sweet Pea will rarely, if
ever, disappoint the cultivator. Wherever the atmosphere
is moderately free from impurities, the plants will thrive

2 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

well, but in gardens in the middle of London, and even
in the congested suburbs, the Sweet Pea is not so happy.
In such situations the plant runs up to the light and seeks
in vain for the pure air that it needs. It is then, by com-
parison with the wonderful freedom of growth common
in the country, only a moderate success, but the few
medium-qualit}' flowers it produces are probably more truly
admired than their brighter sisters from the country, where
the sight of a perfect flower is not rare.

It may be claimed for the Sweet Pea that it will yield
far more blossoms than any other plant which can be grown
in the open gardens of this country ; that, in comparison
with others, it is wonderfully cheap — for a single penny one
can procure a packet of seeds which will yield anything
from 50 to 100 plants, all of which will develop several
scores of splendid flowers ; that the demands it makes upon
the time and patience of the cultivator are not great ; that
there is no single species that provides a wider range of
colouration, or flowers so valuable for the adornment of
the garden over such a protracted period.

The Sweet Pea thrives in most parts of the British
Empire. In New Zealand, Australia, Canada, British
Columbia, and South Africa special exhibitions are held
in its honour.

Notwithstanding the fact that Sweet Peas are, broadly
speaking, cultivated in all gardens, and thousands are

INTRODUCTION 3

raised every year by market growers, blooms sent to the
markets always meet with an appreciative demand and
remunerative sale. It is, of course, impossible to even
approximately estimate how many Sweet Pea seeds are
annually distributed in this country, but facts that are well
within our personal knowledge go far to prove that the
quantity is probably in excess of 40 tons. These find their
way to the soil, either in the penny packets of the smaller
amateur or in the hundredweight lots such as are purchased
by the market growers who made a specialty of supplying
the markets with plants in pots in the early summer, and
with flowers later. Estimating an average pound of Sweet
Peas to contain 5000 seeds, it is not a difficult problem in
multiplication to ascertain that this represents 11,200,000
to the ton, or z)48, 000,000 of Sweet Pea seeds distributed
every year by British growers alone. Those who attempt
to realise what such a number really means will find it
impossible, but the facts are that the actual total is over,
rather than under, what has been stated. And still we are
determined to have the Sweet Pea more extensively grown
even than it is in present-day gardening I

CHAPTER I

HISTORICAL NOTES

It is not intended to place on record here an exhaustive
history of the Sweet Pea. Instead of doing this, the salient
facts alone will be brought into view, and we shall then
gradually come to see that although the plant has been
grown in this country for upwards of two hundred years,
to all intents and purposes its history, as far as the practical
man is concerned, has been made in the last half-century.
However, let us to the start.

In the year 1699 there dwelt in Sicily a monk named
Cupani. In his spare time this holy man studied the flora
of that beautiful island, and this flora included the Sweet
Pea. Not that he gave it that name. When he sent seeds
to his English correspondent, Dr. Uvedale, in those days
a schoolmaster at Enfield in Middlesex, the unwieldy
cognomen — or ought one to say descriptive title ? — was
Lathyrus distoplatyphyllos, hirsutis, wollis, magtio et pera-
manOf flore odoratissimo, pnrpureo. If we were required
to call the Sweet Pea by this name in these days of hurry
and scurry the flower would lose half its charm.

EARLY HISTORY 5

Although these are the circumstances which attended
the introduction of the Sweet Pea into Great Britain, the
plant had already been referred to in botanical works, for
Mr. S. B. Dicks, who searched wide and long to compile
the early history of the flower for the Bicentenary Cele-
bration Festival, found it mentioned in the Historice Plan-
tarum of Johannes Bauhinus, dated 1650-51. Robert
Morrison of London mentions a Lathynis latifolius annuis
in 1669, but this differed from the fragrant Sicilian flower.
John Ray, also of London, alluded to it as Lathynis major
e Sicilice in his Historia Plantarunt, published between 1686
and 1704. In addition to the seeds which Cupani forwarded
to Dr. Uvedale, he sent some to Casper Commelin, and what
was, apparently, the first illustration, was prepared from
flowers grown from these seeds. This picture appeared
in the Horti-Mcdici Anistelodamensis. Subsequently Joannis
Burmannis, in 1737, described Lathyrus Zeylanicus, and
spoke of it as differing only from the Lathyrus of
Cupani in the variety of the flower. Further experience
proved that they were one and the same species, and
from that species all modern Sweet Peas have been
derived.

Even in those days the flower was found to be variable,
and it is possible that if the florists had not purposely
selected and fixed the old-fashioned varieties with smooth
and hooded standards, we should never have worried about

6 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

the \'ariability of the Spencer type, but rather have accepted
it as a matter of course.

It is abundantly clear that British growers soon com-
menced to take advantage of the variation in the flowers, and
seeds of distinct \'arieties were offered as early as 1793 by
Mason of Fleet Street, who catalogued and described black,
purple, scarlet, and white varieties, and Painted Lady. In
these days we believe everything that comes from Fleet
Street, but in connection with Sweet Peas there is ample
grounds for wondering whether Mason spoke the truth
about his scarlets and his blacks. We have not got any
black flowers at the present day, and opinions differ as
to whether we ought to claim that we have pure scarlet
flowers. That is, however, neither here nor there, and it
does not alter the fact that evolution had commenced. A
black-purple was referred to in 1800, and thirty-seven years
later history records a striped flower, and it was with
these that James Carter of Holborn, the founder of the
present house of James Carter & Co., commenced. From
this source was introduced a little later a "yellow" flower,
but it may safely be assumed that to find the yellow in
it demanded as much imagination as it does to find the
yellow in present-day varieties.

In i860 the first edged variety appeared ; it was called
Blue Hybrid, was brought to light by Major Trevor Clarke,
and was said to be the result of a cross between a white

HENRY ECKFORD'S WORK 7

variety and Lathyrus magcllanicus, but it never bore evi-
dence of hybridity. The variety received the honour of a
first-class certificate from the Royal Horticultural Society
as recently as 1883. This was not the first Sweet Pea that
was recognised by the R.H.S., as its Floral Committee had
already given a similar award to Scarlet Invincible eighteen
years previously. At about this time, between i860 and
1870, many new Sweet Peas were introduced, and cultivators
did not concentrate their energies on colour alone, but were
actively endeavouring to improve the size, substance, and
form of the flower. Continental as well as home raisers
were at work, and the firm of Carter was always promi-
nently to the fore.

After the year 1880 varieties followed each other in
quick succession, and the interest in the flower steadily
increased. Noble, Cooper & Bolton, the predecessors of the
present firm of Cooper, Taber & Co., Ltd. ; Cattell, Wester-
ham ; Sutton & Sons, Reading ; Hurst & Son, Houndsditch ;
and Thomas Laxton, Bedford, all played successful hands.
But their results paled into insignificance later, owing to Eck-
ford's introductions. Henry Eckford commenced in 1870 at
Sandjrvvell, Gloucester, and henceforth devoted his life to
the development of the Sweet Pea. His success was so re-
markable that he raised the Sweet Pea from the position of
an ordinary flower to one of primary importance. Eckford
undoubtedly made the Sweet Pea a general favourite, and

8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

the Sweet Pea made the name of Eckford as music to the
ears of all who love flowers.

His first great success was Bronze Prince, but he had
not then learned all there was to be learned in regard
to fixity. The v-ariety was so inconstant that it failed to
retain its popularity for so long a period as it should have
done, for in all other respects the flower was excellent.
Once on the high road, Henry Eckford never left it. Year
after year fresh novelties were obtained, the earliest ones
being distributed by others and the later ones by himself ;
for he left private service at length and established himself
in business at Wem in Shropshire. Each novelty had some
marked superiority over its predecessors, and so careful
was the great florist that, after one or two early mistakes,
he distributed only such varieties as were perfectly fLxed.

Slight variations occurred in the named varieties from
time to time, but they were only such as were to be ex-
pected in a flower exclusively propagated from seeds, and
produced by cross-fertilisation based on no clearly defined
lines. Now the raisers have Mendel's laws of inheritance
to guide them, and they should be able to produce some
wonderful results ; but whatever is done, the name of Henry
Eckford will stand for ever above all other names in con-
nection with the development of the Sweet Pea. The Eck-
fordian varieties showed advancement in substance, size,
form, fragrance, and colour, for it seemed to be a point of

"COUNTESS SPENCER" 9

honour that no one attribute should be exploited at the
expense of others.

With the institution of the National Sweet Pea Society
in 1900 many other raisers came into prominence, and
they have done excellent work since that time. Novelties
succeeded novelties in unbroken sequence, and while some
were given names to which they were not entitled, being
insufficiently distinct from others, or lacking good qualities
themselves, the majority merited the popularity to which
they attained.

Eckford and his contemporaries achieved wonders, but
all their varieties had smooth or hooded standards, there-
fore when Silas Cole, gardener to Earl Spencer, Althorp
Park, Northampton, showed a shell-pink variety with waved
standards and wings, at an exhibition at the Royal Aquarium
in 1901, the Sweet Pea world simply lost its head in amaze-
ment. Here, indeed, was something different from, and
infinitely more beautiful than, anything that had yet been
seen. Silas Cole was worried nearly out of his life for
seeds, but eventually the stock passed into the hands of
Robert Sydenham, who, in response to persistent agitation,
was induced to distribute the variety before it had been
properly fixed, and it was that error which has led us
into so many pitfalls since. Had Countess Spencer been
properly fixed prior to distribution, it is well within the
bounds of possibility that the trueness that had come.

lo PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

owing to the efforts of Henry Eckford, to be expected from
every Sweet Pea, would have continued. This was not to
be, however, and the consequent variabihty has been the
cause of many heartburnings and many regrets. We yearn
now for the dawn of that bright day when cultivators shall
know that when they sow seeds there will be some certainty
as to the kind of flower they will produce, not in the few
varieties, as is the case at present, but in the many, as was
the case in former years.

Much as we should like to do so, we find it impossible
to name all those who have done good work in developing
the modern Sweet Pea. Let them continue their praise-
worthy efforts, for the possibilities of the flower are not
yet exhausted. Another epoch will presently open with as
distinct a break from the Spencers as this type was from
the older forms, and its fresh charms will make it heartily
welcome.

CHAPTER II

THE THREE GREAT GROUPS

It will be of interest to call special attention to the three
groups into which the varieties of Sweet Peas may be said
to be divided, and to relate the main points of difference
between them. The original Sweet Pea was a bicolor
flower, and it usually carried two blooms on each stem ;
the standards were generally erect and flat, the wings
smooth, and the segments of the keel were invariably closed,
thus rendering cross-fertilisation by natural agencies a
remote possibility. Later, in the same group, there came
varieties that differed only in colour, while still others
varied in the shape of the standard. There were many
that hooded their standards, such, to mention a typical
example, as the supremely beautiful Lady Grisell Hamilton.
Another variation took the form, of throwing back the
margins of the standards, but this rather detracted from the
attractiveness of the flower, with the result that compara-
tively few of these attained to any marked degree of popu-
larity. A further difference was seen in the fact that the
standards of many varieties had a notch at the top, and the

12 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

smoothness of the unbroken roundness was destroyed.
This defect occurs even in recent varieties, and it detracts
from their charm.

Notwithstanding these differences, it is safe to describe
the many varieties as all belonging to the earliest or smooth-
standard group, now commonly called, for the sake of dis-
tinction, the grandiflora division. The hooding and the
reflexing were merely indications of some inherent weak-
ness of the variety, and could by no means be claimed to
constitute sufficient difference to justify the creation of a
distinguishing section.

These prevailed until Countess Spencer was first shown
only thirteen years ago. In this break away from the
normal, not only was the form of the flower totally distinct,
but there was a structural variation of immense importance,
since it was well within the bounds of possibility that it
would affect the constancy of the variety or varieties.
The difference of form was all for the better. The rigid
outline of the smooth standard was broken, and we had a
bloom in which the standards were waved in an elegant
and attractive manner and the wings showed the same
exquisite characteristic, and the flower became popular
even before it was generally known, so enthusiastic were
contemporar)* writers in their comments and praises.

In one respect this group shows some inferiority in
comparison with the old, smooth flowers. When the

PLATE II
HELEN LEWIS

THE SPENCER GROUP 15

plants are cultivated on over-rich land, this graceful wavi-
ness, which all admire, becomes an ungainly Soppiness
that completely spoils the bloom ; an overfed, smooth
flower might appear slightly coarse, but it never assumed
such an aspect as the waved standards in similar circum-
stances. The remedy is, of course, obvious. Do not so
unintelligently manure the soil, and subsequently feed the
plants, that they will produce flowers that have these de-
fects, which are sufficient to ruin the plants as well when
grown for garden embellishment as for exhibition.

Turning now to the structural difference, it has been
said already that when the keel closely enclosed the essen-
tial organs, this circumstance reduced to a minimum the
probabilities of natural agencies stepping in and causing
cross-fertilisation. In the Spencer group, to which atten-
tion is now being directed, the segments of the keel expand
and the organs protrude. This characteristic constitutes
the distinguishing feature of the varieties as compared with
those of the Unwin type, to which reference will be made
in due course.

Good judges differ as to whether this peculiarity has or
has not affected the stability of varieties. Certain it is that,
despite all the efforts which have been made, perfect fixa-
tion of these varieties is still a more or less doubtful quan-
tity. On the contrary, there are some varieties which are
absolutely of Spencer form that have scarcely varied in

i6 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

the smallest degree since they were first distributed. The
little differences that have occurred have been on all-fours
with those that characterised the smooth-standard group
half a century or more ago. There are those who affirm
that the fact of the seed of Countess Spencer having been
originally grown in bulk in California was the whole and
sole cause of its unreliability ; but there cannot be much
in this argument, for other varieties which have also been
grown there are true to all intents and purposes.

It is on record that Henry Eckford devoted several years
to the fixation of smooth-standard varieties before introduc-
ing them, and that Messrs. Sutton had their variety Butterfly
in the nurseries for many seasons before they put it into
commerce, simply because they could not get it to remain
constant ; and other raisers have had similar experience.
Thus the conclusion is almost forced upon us that had
Countess Spencer been held back for a period it would
have saved all the trouble. Countess Spencer was a seminal
variation from Prima Donna.

Some varieties that were notoriously bad when first
sent out have been enormously improved, but there are
others, and Audrey Crier may be mentioned as a well-
known example, which it appears impossible to persuade
to come true, or even to improve. Although this variety
has been selected and re-selected year after year, it is as
unreliable as ever, and must never be expected to yield

THE UNWIN GROUP 17

more than 10 per cent, true, whereas many sorts will give
anything from 90 to 100 per cent, of trueness.

The third group is composed of the Unwin varieties.
The first appeared in the same year as Countess Spencer,
and was selected by Mr. Unwin. The difference between
it and the smooth-standard section is that the standard and
wings are almost as much, and quite as gracefully, waved
as those of the more highly esteemed Spencers. The group
differs from the Spencers in that it has the keel quite closed,
as in the old form. The group therefore comes midway
between the other two groups, and had it been placed on
the market before Countess Spencer and come as true then
as it does now, it would have enjoyed the greater popularity ;
but it was held back for fixation, and when this quality was
secured the supremacy of the Spencer type was assured.
The typical variety is Gladys Unwin, which in its day was
more extensively grown for cut flowers for market than any
other variety had ever been, and the British market grower
knows a good thing and will not grow a bad one.

There are many growers of Sweet Peas who would
willingly forgo a little as regards colour, and perhaps
waviness, provided that they could feel assured of fixation,
and to these cultivators the Unwin group can be strongly re-
commended. It must be understood, in relation to this, that
the trueness of Unwin, as well as other varieties in the two

waved groups, is not by any means guaranteed, but simply

B

i8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

that the chances are substantially in favour of securing
a higher percentage of trueness, taking one variety with
another, not allowing the insufficient evidence or experi-
ence of one season positively to decide the matter with
the Unwin group, any more than with the true Spencers.

An effort is being made in some directions to separate
these two groups for purposes of exhibition, but the expe-
diency of doing so is much open to question, and it would
certainly place a serious responsibility upon the judges,
since it would involve them in the necessity of closely
examining every flower ; for, apart from the difference
of the keel, there is no other distinguishing feature which
can be taken as a guide. An exceptionally intimate know-
ledge of the varieties would be helpful, but there are few
who would lay claim to being absolutely certain of any
variety other than the specialist growers who work for the
principal raisers.

CHAPTER III

MAKING NEW VARIETIES

We have advanced so far in the development of Sweet
Peas, that it may be thought there is now no ideal to
inspire future raisers. This is far from being the truth.
As a purely elementary illustration, it may be pointed
out that we have not yet got the true yellow or the true
blue flower. Nothing short of the hue of Coreopsis grandi-
flora will satisfy the world in regard to the former ; while
as for the latter, we have in our mind the blue of Salvia
patens. There must be no hint that there is nothing left
to do, so long as we have not these delightful colours I

When, then, shall we have them ? Here is a question
which is easy enough to propound, but impossible to
answer. The Sweet-Pea-loving public may accept it as
an indisputable fact that modern raisers will spare neither
trouble, skill, patience, nor money to achieve these objects,
for they know perfectly well that those who are successful
will not only reap a rich financial reward, but that their
name or names will go down to posterity with that of
Eckford in the cult of the Queen of Annuals.

20 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

Systematic work on clearly defined lines, and with
definite objects in view, is constantly proceeding, as well
in the ranks of amateurs as among professional growers,
and there is no apparent reason why any one of the former
class should not achieve as good results as a member of the
latter class, provided that the same care, thought, intelligence,
and complete understanding of the task before them are
brought to bear upon their work. The professional culti-
vator has perhaps greater incentives, and in many instances
better facilities, for conducting the work, but the amateur
who determines that he will do his best to deserve success
will have no cause to regret his labours. Let him take
courage from the success of Silas Cole with Countess Spencer
and Earl Spencer, of Alexander Malcolm with Edrom
Beauty and Masterpiece, of H. A. Perkin with the peerless
Nancy Perkin, of — but the multiplication of names will
not add strength to our case ; sufficient have been specified
to prove that the amateur raiser is already a power in the
land, and will become a greater one in the future.

Before leaving the question of raising new varieties, it
should be pointed out that the unfortunate lack of fixity
caused much thought to be given to the whole question
of cross-fertilisation. Efforts have been made to ascertain
whether the Mendelian laws of inheritance apply to the
flower. Mendel proved to the point of demonstration that
plants have characteristics absolutely defined and unalter-

MENDEL'S LAW 21

able. He knew that if he crossed certain plants he would
reap certain results, and that in the second generation the
seedlings would show a splitting up into varieties, and he
was able to state beforehand what proportion these variations
would have to each other, and to affirm that some types
known as "recessives" would be constant. As far as the
Mendelian laws in relation to Sweet Peas are concerned,
Alexander Malcolm claims to have proved that they do
apply. He is a most painstaking, skilful, and experienced
worker, and the results which he has achieved have more
than satisfied him that he is proceeding on the right lines.

The theory is elaborate and it demands thorough study.
Those who would enter upon it should consult Professor
Bateson's Mendel's Principles of Heredity, which is published
by the Cambridge University Press ; or the same author's
Methods and Scope of Genetics. Mr. Cuthbertson contributed
some information on the subject in the Sweet Pea Annual
for 1909 ; and an excellent article, with a coloured plate,
appeared in the Gardeners' Chronicle for July 24, 1909.

CHAPTER IV

GENERAL CULTURE

It has been said that the Sweet Pea can be grown in any
garden in the British Isles ; but one would not go as far as
to assert that the success achieved will be equally good in
all circumstances and conditions. Not only will the natural
soil and situation have an influence on the results, but
the character of the atmosphere must also be taken into
consideration ; and, beyond all these things, there is the
individuality of the cultivator. Nevertheless, the plant will
thrive and blossom fairly well even in the most untoward
surroundings, as has been proved to demonstration in some
of the most confined gardens of London and other crowded
cities. It is, however, imperative that the correct methods
of procedure shall be adopted from the start, and fortu-
nately these do not entail either serious expense or diffi-
cult labour, though the initial operations must necessarily
be rather heav7.

Let us glance briefly at what may be termed the
essentials to success, assuming that the plants are being
cultivated for the adornment of the garden and for the

ESSENTIALS TO SUCCESS 23

production of numbers of flowers for the decoration of
the home. With the management of plants for exhibi-
tion blooms we have nothing here to do, since that phase
of Sweet Pea culture is most admirably treated upon by
Mr. Thomas Stevenson, head gardener at Woburn Place.

The most important factor of all is soil, and no matter
what its nature may be, it is essential that it should be
brought into perfect physical condition by thorough tilling;
it must also contain an abundant supply of readily available
food. The seeds must be sown thinly, and any thinning
that may be required must be done early. Supports must
be afforded the plants before they attain to a height of
four inches. Ample protection must be given them against
mice during the time the seeds are lying in the soil prior to
germination ; the seedlings, as they push their way through
the surface and until they are at least three inches high,
must be closely safeguarded against slugs ; and efficient
provision made to keep birds of all kinds from the young
plants, or they will pinch them back to a degree that will
cause the cultivator serious worry and result in more or
less unsatisfactory results, for the simple reason that no
strong stems will get away. After the plants have progressed
to such an extent that the permanent stakes or supports
are in position and buds are commencing to form, the
surface soil must be persistently cultivated with the hoe ;
in addition, it will be desirable, and in some instances

24 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

necessary, to provide mulchings of good manure, while
water and liquid manure will certainly have to be afforded
according to the state of the weather and soil. All this
may sound a little formidable, but as a matter of fact it
is perfectly easy if a proper start is made and good manage-
ment is practised at all stages.

SOIL PREPARATION

Emphasis has already been laid upon the paramount
importance of working the soil. It is not only possible, but
easy, to grow good Sweet Peas without the addition of any
manure to the soil, provided that a fresh position be chosen
each season and that the site was generously manured
for the preceding crop. In such cases the ground will
contain a quantity of nutrient matter which mechanical
working will render available to the plants. On the con-
trary, injudicious manuring would not, in the absence of
soil working, bring about good results. Thus it is seen
that soil working stands first in importance. Three methods
are open for adoption according to circumstances — (i) dig-
ging ; (2) bastard, false, or mock trenching ; and (3) full
or true trenching. It may be said here that the third
system should never be attempted unless the cultivator
is absolutely certain that the subsoil, which will in this
case be brought up to form the surface soil, is perfectly

PLATE III
EVELYN HEMUS

SOIL PREPARATION 27

sweet through previous aeration following upon deep
culture.

Digging, a process by which a depth of 12 inches
of soil is turned over, is good as far as it goes, but those
whose land is so shallow that they cannot secure a deeper
rooting medium than this must not expect to achieve the
same results as others who have soil 2 or 3 feet deep.
However, a 12-inch depth of thoroughly friable, sweet,
fertile ground will grow some grand plants ; and if the
flowers are not all fours or fives upon a stem, and the
stems are not all 20 inches in length — What matters
it ? Judicious watering and feeding will encourage the
successive production of blooms, provided that the flowers
are picked from the plants either just before, or when they
are at, perfection. In the process of moving the soil, more
particularly if the work has to be done in the spring when
the grower cannot have the invaluable assistance of the
weather as a disintegrator, small bites should be taken
with the spade or fork, and the tool should be driven
down to its utmost depth. This will go far to favour the
friability that is so desirable for seeding or planting, as the
case may be.

In bastard trenching, the cultivator is able to increase
the depth of soil available for the roots — indeed, when
ground has been bastard-trenched three or four years in
succession, there should be no difficulty in moving the

28 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

soil to a depth of 2 feet, and it is commonly possible
to bastard-trench 3 or even 4 feet down ; and when this
enviable condition is reached there is nothing that the
grower should not be able to do in the production of
Sweet Peas.

The digging itself will be as thorough in the upper and
lower spits as when only a single layer is being moved, but
the original positions of the strata will be retained. This
is the best form of soil working for general adoption,
since it invariably tends to the benefit of the crops, and
in no circumstances whatever can it do the slightest
harm. In some lands it will only be found feasible in
the first season of trenching to loosen 5 or 6 inches of the
second spit with a pickaxe, but if it is followed up, season
after season, the depth of friable mould will steadily in-
crease until the maximum of soil is reached, and at that
stage the grower may, if he so desire, have recourse to true
or full trenching ; for the lower portions will then have
become sweet, and there will be no danger in bringing them
up to form the surface soil.

It has been stated that there is an ever-present element
of danger in true trenching, unless the grower is convinced
of his own knowledge that the subsoil is sweet, and this
fact must always be kept in mind. If a soil is trenched
and it is ascertained upon completion that the new surface
is so sour that sweetening is impossible in the time that

TRENCHING 29

will elapse between the working and the seeding, the best
thing that can be done is to commence again and re-trench,
in which process the two soils will regain their original
positions. The operation will then become more than ordi-
narily laborious, but the worker will have the satisfaction of
knowing that, as far as mechanical working is concerned, it
would be quite impossible for him to do more for his plants.
In true trenching the depth of moved soil should never
be less than 2 feet, and it ought to be 3 feet or a
little more. There are those who advocate the trenching
of soil to a depth of 5 or 6 feet, but one seldom sees
this put into practice, and it is almost certain that the
amount of good which the plants derive from it is quite
out of proportion to the labour entailed. The roots of
Sweet Peas seldom penetrate lower than 3 feet beneath
the surface, and, if they did, the probabilities are that their
lower extremities would not possess any great power of
feeding. The benefit, then, would be merely indirect —
the root-run would be cooler and the soil would remain
moist longer in dry periods. Each grower must exercise
his own judgment as to the form of cultivation that is
likely to yield the best returns in his soil, and he can ex-
periment for two or three seasons until he makes himself
master of the problem.

Time of Soil Working.— Not only, however, has the
particular method of working to be considered, but the

30 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

time of doing it ; and here again much must depend
upon circumstances which the individual alone can know.
As a general rule, medium to strong soils should be
thoroughly cultivated in the autumn and early winter, and
the surface ought to be left in as rough a condition as pos-
sible, to encourage the free passage of water and ensure the
utmost advantage from the action of frosts. In a climate
where the rainfall is hea\7 and winter frosts are not severe,
this system might be followed by a state of affairs that
would be the reverse of satisfactory — instead of the lumps
being freely penetrated by frost, which by expanding the
water into ice would force the lumps apart and produce a
fine tilth, the mould would remain in a close, pasty condi-
tion, that would require weeks, or even months, before it
would be possible to do much with it.

It will, therefore, be readily seen that the grower must
largely draw upon his own experience and knowledge in
the matter of soil working, especially where the land is
heavy, since advice from one who has no real acquaintance
with all the circumstances of the case may easily lead to
disaster. Let such soils as are apt to close down after
autumn working stand over until the spring, and then put
the work in hand immediately the ground is in a fit condition.
The cultivator must exercise discretion in this direction,
since it is far wiser to defer the commencement of opera-
tions than it is to go on the land when it is sodden with

SANDY SOILS 31

wet, as this would cause it to be trodden down closer,
making it more uncongenial than it was before. Always
dig such soils in small spits, and after the cultivation is
complete, seize every possible opportunity to break down
any lumps there may be ; weather that is bright after
showers will be favourable to this operation, and its neglect
will spell comparative failure.

It is necessary now to give some consideration to the
light, sandy soils common in various parts of the country.
They are not as suitable for Sweet Peas as are those of a
stronger nature, but, as it is obviously impossible for the
amateur to import to his garden the particular soil which
is more especially adapted to each individual crop, it be-
hoves him to do the best he can with that at command.
As far as Sweet Peas are concerned, correct methods of
procedure will bring a most generous reward even in sandy
soils. The conditions of success are depth of working,
judicious manuring, and consolidation before either sowing
seeds or putting out plants. The deeper the soil can be
cultivated, the longer it will hold moisture and plant food
in suspension, and, as a natural consequence, the longer
the plants will continue in health during the hot, summer
months. But no matter how deep the cultivation may be,
the desired results will not be obtained unless the soil is
thoroughly consolidated, and this must be done by repeated
treading prior to planting.

32 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

Unlike stronger soils, it is sound practice to let the light
ones lie solid through the winter, and in many instances
direct good will accrue when a few annual, surface-rooting
weeds are allowed to grow unchecked from November
until the time of working in the spring. Objection will
perhaps be lodged to this suggestion by many growers, on
the score that the weeds will draw supplies of food from
the soil, and thus the legitimate crops will be robbed ; but
there is really very little in this argument. The weeds
will certainly obtain sustenance from the soil, but they
can afterwards be buried at least lo inches beneath the
surface, when, in rotting down, as they are sure to do in
due course, they will return to the soil the food which
they had previously drawn from it, and the next crop will
derive the benefit. It is not only, however, in this direction
that the weeds do good in light soil, but in the fact that they
prevent the water rushing as freely and as rapidly through
as it would do if the soil were left bare, or roughly turned
up in the autumn, as is advocated for loams and clays.

As early in February as it is convenient to get on the
ground, the process of working light soils should be put in
hand. Nothing short of a depth of 3 feet will give the
best results with Sweet Peas, and if the depth can be in-
creased without very much trouble to half as much again,
so much the better for the plants. It is excellent practice
to tread down each soit as the process goes on, since, when

SOIL CONSOLIDATION 33

the soil is loosened to the depth recommended, surface
treading will only do real good in the top 9 inches or
thereabouts, whereas the consolidation should be carried
far deeper than this. The greatest care must be exercised
in this matter, no attempt at treading being made when
the land is soddened ; while to start to do it when it is
as dry as dust is tantamount to wasting time, for it will
not have the slightest effect. Choose the happy medium
between the two, preferably when the condition is just
on the dry side, and the full value of the process will be
secured.

In all cases, whether the soil is heavy, medium, or light
in texture, mechanical operations in connection with it
must be completed by the earliest possible date in March,
so that sufficient time may elapse between the final digging
over and the sowing of seeds or the planting of plants as
the case may be. Thus with roughly dug surface soil which
has weathered through the winter, the forking over to pro-
vide the necessary smooth and friable tilth must be done
in February and March, and especially so when the sowing
is in the open, for only by getting the seeds in by or before
the end of the latter month can the cultivator hope to obtain
perfect flowers at the middle of July, rather earlier or later
according to the season. There should be a depth of 10
inches of perfectly friable soil, as this will favour the satis-
factory growth of the young roots. With light soils let it

34 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

be again said that the final treading immediately in advance
of seeding must never be overlooked.

Manuring. — Hand in hand with the mechanical cultiva-
tion of the ground must, of course, run the manuring, and
it is an aspect of culture that demands the most intelligent
consideration. Although concentrated fertilisers are often
extremely valuable, they will not do all that is necessary
to ensure success with Sweet Peas. These free and deep-
rooting plants must have a soil with body in it, and this
can only be provided when natural manures are employed ;
but with these, and fertilisers as supplements, one may con-
fidently anticipate satisfaction.

Precisely as it is imperative with the mechanical work-
ing to consider the time of year, so it is with manuring.
The loams and clays, which possess the power of holding
plant food, should be manured in the autumn. The light
lands, which lack this retentiveness, must not be dealt with
until the spring, or the probabilities are that more than
three parts of the plant food will have been washed down
long before the roots are actively working in the late spring
and early summer months, while by the time they are
needing full supplies there will be practically no nutrient
matter left.

Assuming that the natural manures most generally avail-
able are farm-yard or stable dung and cow excrement, the
former should be chosen for the strong soils, and the latter

MANURES AND MANURING 25

for the light lands. A clay soil requires opening up to the
freer passage of water and air, and horse manure contain-
ing straw aids substantially to this end. If there is any
choice in the matter of manures, let that containing long
straw be selected for clay, that with medium straw for the
strong loams, and that with short straw for the lighter
loams. The applications in each of these instances will
presumably be made in the autumn, and the materials may
be comparatively fresh as compared with those that would
be applied in the spring, since an autumn dressing allows
abundance of time for the manure to become sweet before
the roots of the plants are working freely in it. The
manure that is worked into light soils, or into others which
necessity compels the grower to cultivate in the spring, must
be thoroughly rotted and perfectly sweet at the time of use.
There are, broadly speaking, only two systems of work-
ing in the manure. The first is to thoroughly incorporate
it with the soil as the digging or trenching proceeds, and
the second is to take out trenches and put the manure
in these in solid layers. While the latter method may
favour the development of longer stems, it also encourages
a grossness that is far from being satisfactory, as it shows
itself in the flowers, and often gives them that floppy, un-
wieldy appearance that very nearly makes the Sweet Pea
ugly because it looks so coarse. The worst manure of all
for encouraging this undesirable state of affairs is night-soil,

36 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

but excess of any kind will lead to the same trouble. In
the light, sandy soils which some growers have to work, it is
perhaps permissible to put in a layer, 6 inches or so in thick-
ness, between the second and third spits, but it should not
be done in any other circumstances. In all instances where
it is deemed imperative that a layer of some sort should
be put in to arrest the too free passage of the food-laden
moisture, the preference might well be given to turfs 3
inches in thickness, placed rather deep with the grass side
underneath, and then cut through several times with a sharp
spade ; these will answer the purpose for which the layer
is particularly intended without bringing with them the
risk of coarseness. In shallow soils, where it is impossible
to get down even two full spits, the manure should be laid
on the second spit and then worked in as much as possible.
In all other cases, unless there is some special reason to
adopt another system, let the manure be thoroughly incor-
porated with the lower soil, and, if any is placed in the top
spit, let it take the form of refuse material such as that from
old hotbeds or cucumber pits, as this will provide some-
thing to which the young and tender roots will take quickly
and at the same time give a little food ; this stuff is more
valuable on strong than on light lands, and should not be
worked in until the spring, or its full value will not be
secured.

In many instances it is to be feared that success is not

CONCENTRATED FERTILISERS 37

obtained simply because the manure at command is poor
in quality. When natural manure is stacked in heaps and
exposed for months to the weather, somewhere about three
parts of its food virtues are washed out of it before it is put
into the soil. It should always be stacked under cover,
where it is impossible for the rains to pass through it, and
the liquid which naturally drains out of it must be saved
for future use.

In the possible event, then, of the manure being poor,
the grower must turn to the concentrated fertilisers to
provide compensation. The usual practice is to apply
these when the soil is being finally prepared in the spring,
but they can be used in the autumn, and in certain circum-
stances will then give superior returns. It is, however,
essential that whatever is applied at that season of the
year shall be slow in yielding up its food properties,
or the value of the apphcation will be almost wholly lost
to the plants. As a simple dressing for Sweet Peas there
is nothing better than basic slag, finely ground, and used
at the rate of 10 to 12 lbs. to the square rod, and even
more where the dressing of dung is light and its quality
inferior. This will not meet all the requirements of the
plants, since it gives no appreciable amount of potash, which
is essential to the finest results, therefore it must be supple-
mented with kainit at the rate of 6 to 8 lbs. to the rod.
This latter salt is valuable as a soil cleanser as well as

38 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

a fertiliser ; it should be applied in autumn to give the best
results.

A second form of using concentrated fertilisers, and one
which serves admirably in many instances, is to mix what-
ever is chosen in with the manure itself prior to working it
into the soil. One stone of kainit and two stones of super-
phosphate of lime, spread evenly on a thin heap of manure
weighing approximately one ton, and then the material
turned inwards and outwards two or three times to work
the fertilisers right through, will improve the dung by
somewhere about 30 per cent., and that is a consideration
worthy of note.

It will be observed that nitrogen is omitted in each of
these suggestions, since in all soils it is far better used in
the spring, and in the majority of cases is best held back
for exclusive use as a stimulant. For spring use sulphate
of potash should take the place of kainit, and the quan-
tity must not exceed, except in the rarest circumstances,
3 lbs. to the square rod. Superphosphate will also be
necessary, and a good dressing is 6 lbs. to the square
rod. In the possible event of nitrogen being needed for
application early in spring, mix equal proportions of sul-
phate of ammonia and nitrate of soda, and use 3 lbs. to the
square rod ; the mixture gives finer results than an equal
quantity of either used alone, and it must be forked into the
top 8 inches of surface soil.

CHAPTER V

SEED SOWING

Fortunately, the grower of Sweet Peas has ample latitude
in regard to seed sowing. He has not to depend upon the
conditions of weather and soil being ideal in any particular
week, for he can commence sowing in September, and
continue monthly, with the exception of December, until
the following April — there have been instances where a May
sowing has produced excellent plants which have blossomed
freely very late in the season. During recent years the prac-
tice of sowing in pots, either in the autumn or the spring,
has become more and more popular, and there are amateurs
who appear to think that it is only in this manner that the
best exhibition flowers can be produced. This, however, is
very far from being correct. Assuming all other things are
favourable, it is just as easy to grow good flowers from
seeds sown out-of-doors in autumn or spring, according to
conveniences and circumstances, as it is from seeds sown
under glass at those seasons. It is, of course, obvious that
pot-sown seeds and plants are more under the complete
control of the cultivator than those out-of-doors ; but apart

39

40 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

from this there is no substantial advantage in the system.
Autumn sowing is advantageous in giving a longer time for
the plants to root in, and, although they may not gain
materially in earliness over spring-sown seeds, this superior
root development will tell in the substance and colour of
the blooms ; but when all is said, the grower must settle
the point for himself.

Autumn Sowing. — Now let us particularise a little as to
the best times for autumn and spring sowing, and we will
take outdoor work first, as being the more generally con-
venient. Those who live in cold districts and have to
contend with a strong, close, clayey soil should endeavour
to get seeds in during September, early or late according to
the weather. The seeds should be sown more thickly than
in more congenial soils, but attention to this point will be
drawn in due course. In either strong or medium loams
the best month is October, while in warm sands November
will prove the most generally suitable. If there is a cold
frame at command, the middle of October is an ideal
time for sowing, and 6-inch pots should be given the
preference over those of smaller size, since they afford
additional root room, which Sweet Peas greatly appreciate.
Five seeds should be set round the sides of the large pot ;
or if it is necessary to use 3-inch pots, then put one seed in
the middle and be prepared to repot as early in the spring
as possible. Few growers, however, care to go to this

PLATE IV
QUEEN ALEXANDRA

SPRING SOWING 43

trouble with Sweet Peas, but it will be commonly found
imperative in exhibition culture, with which my experienced
friend and most successful grower, Thomas Stevenson,
deals on another page. If under-glass sowing in the
autumn is adopted, the utmost care must be taken not to
coddle the plants, or the results will prove the reverse of
satisfactory ; on the contrary, keep the frames open when-
ever the weather will permit of it, so that the growth shall
be strong, hardy, and sturdy from the start.

If mice find their way into the pots, they will eat all
the seeds of the best varieties. The simplest method of
preventing them is to place a pane of glass over the top
of each pot, since it is from the surface, and not from the
base, that they work ; needless to say, immediately the seed-
lings show through the surface the glass should be re-
moved. At that stage danger will come from slugs, which
ought to be hunted for and trapped persistently, and birds,
which still attack the plants whenever they get the oppor-
tunity. An effectual method of preventing them is to
have a light framework of fine-meshed galvanised wire,
made exactly the same size as the light, and when the
latter is off, let the wire be placed in position. Should
birds top the plants once it is not of serious moment,
but they must not be allowed to do it repeatedly or the
plants will die.

Spring Sowing.— Passing now to spring sowing, we

44 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

shall commence towards the end of January, in pots, and
again the preference should be given to large ones if it can
possibly be made convenient. Either a greenhouse or a
frame will answer the purpose, provided that the heat
is very gentle ; high temperatures will, of course, favour
quicker germination and more rapid progress subsequently,
but the growth will be weaker and the difficulties and
dangers, when the time arrives for placing the plants in
their permanent positions, will be materially increased. At
the same time, absolute cold is not good for Sweet Peas
sown in January. Where there is no heated structure, or
that at command is too hot, it will be wiser to wait until
the middle or end of February before sowing ; the grower
will not then have to worry for fear of the plants becom-
ing drawn before the soil and weather are favourable to
planting. Out-of-door sowing in spring may be done at
any time after the middle of March up to the end of April
with ever>' prospect of success. In gardens where the soil
is light and warm a start may be made in February,
particularly if a sheltered situation can be added to the
other advantages named. Taking one season with another,
the fourth week of the month of March is usually the best
period.

When pot culture is decided upon, the grower must be
prepared not only to give the plants attention from the
time that they show through the surface, but also to provide

SOIL FOR POTS 45

a special soil mixture. The ordinary soil of the garden
may, and does, answer perfectly for seeds sown directly into
it where the plants are to flower, but it is seldom good
enough for use in pots. However, the compost is far from
elaborate, and may be easily provided by those who will
take a little trouble. The principal ingredient must be
sound, fibrous loam, and of this there may be three parts,
all the fibre being retained and only the finest dust re-
moved ; then there should be one part each of refuse
manure and sweet, thoroughly decomposed leaf-mould.
If there is the slightest doubt as to the quality of the leaf-
soil, omit it entirely and rely upon the manure, since inferior
leaf-mould will do far more harm than good, and on more
than one occasion it has led to complete failure. Beyond
these things it will be necessary to add, roughly, a tenth
part of sharp sand to ensure the perfect porosity of the
mixture. The ingredients should be mixed thoroughly
quite two, and preferably three, weeks before use, and it
must then be in a pleasantly moist state, no matter what
varieties are being sown.

It is imperative in pot-sowing to make some distinction
between those varieties with white seeds and others having
mauve in the colour of their flowers, and the ordinary
black or brown-seeded sorts, or the results may prove
disastrous. It is well known to all experienced growers
that the mauve-coloured varieties invariably have most

46 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

wretched-looking seeds — usually very small, and commonly
spotted and wrinkled — and these, with the white ones, are
very apt to rot in the soil if it is kept too moist or they
are set too deeply. For these, then, the cultivator should
use a rather lighter soil, with an increased proportion of
sand, surface the soil with pure sand, set the seeds not
more than a quarter of an inch deep, and cover them with
sand. Further than this, the soil should be kept drier than
is either necessary or desirable for the majority of sorts.
For all brown and black seeds the depth may be between
half an inch and an inch, and the covering-in should always
be done with fine soil. Many cultivators chip all seeds
prior to sowing, but the practice is rarely necessary. If it
is seen that the plants are not showing through the surface
within a reasonable time after sowing, the soil should be
turned out carefully and the seeds found ; if they are still
sound they can be chipped and re-sown ; if they have
rotted the matter is ended, and a second sowing must be
made forthwith. Although this appears to be more trouble
than chipping the skins of all seeds at the outset, it is
preferable. In the white-seeded varieties, and also in one
or two with black skins, split seeds are comparatively
common, and, notwithstanding the care that is taken by
seedsmen to pick them out, some will assuredly find their
way into the packets. The grower should not give him-
self a moment's anxiety about them ; they will simply

OUTDOOR SEED SOWING 47

germinate rather quicker, but care must be taken not to get
the soil wet.

Having dealt with the manner of sowing under glass,
we will now turn to outdoor sowing, which, as already
stated, is still far more extensively practised by the culti-
vators than under-glass sowing. Much has been said
and written as to the marked advantages of sowing in
flat -bottomed, shallow trenches or drills, as compared
with the triangular drills drawn with the heel of a cutting
hoe, but there are still many amateurs who adopt the
latter system. They should drop it instantly, for the
simple reason that triangular drills are prejudicial from
the start, and the results can never, therefore, be as
satisfactory as when the plants proceed perfectly from the
earliest stages.

Every grower of Sweet Peas should decide to have
shallow trenches in future. It is obvious that the depth
will vary slightly according to the texture of the soil — the
stronger it is, the shallower the cutting should be ; the
lighter it is, the deeper the trenches should be. In any
case they must not exceed 4 inches, and never be less
than 2 inches. It should not be assumed that the seeds
will be covered to the full depth in either case ; on the
contrary, a surfacing of i inch to i^ inches suffices
according to circumstances, and the greater depth of
cutting is simply advised so that the stems can be

48 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

moulded up a little as protection, without bringing the
level up to such a degree that it looks like a miniature
Potato hill.

Another important point in direct relation to sowing
is the distance at which the seed ought to be placed. The
advice to sow thinly has been insisted upon often enough
by experienced growers, but it is certain that ideas as to
what constitutes thin sowing are varied and confused.
Some growers will place the seeds about three deep in the
drill. Then comes the individual who considers that a
single layer is the ideal of thin sowing, and still another
sets them 12 inches asunder, forgetting that some of the
seeds may fail to germinate, that mice may demand a
toll before the seedlings are through, that slugs and birds
will also take a share, until, when the thinning by these
means is finished, the plants may stand at anything from
3 feet to 6 feet apart for flowering. As a matter of fact, it is
exceedingly difficult to lay down a hard-and-fast rule that
will suit all cultivators, but if the distance varies from
I inch to 2 inches it is almost impossible that the grower
can go far astray. There will then be sufficient for the
mice, birds, and slugs to have a fair share and for the
thinning to be completed so that a distance of 12, 15, 18,
or 24 inches separates the plants in the rows. Those who
aspire to produce exhibition blooms will be wise to follow
Thomas Stevenson's advice, while the immense majority,

SUPPORTING THE PLANTS 49

who grow plants to yield an abundance of flowers for the
immediate adornment of the garden, will allow the plants
12 to 15 inches asunder in the rows, and know that they
are doing the right thing.

It is necessary to draw attention to the fact that the
plants can be grown in either single or double lines, but
the former method is much to be preferred. For a single
line of seeds the shallow trench may be anything from 4 to
6 inches in width, whereas for a double line it must be at
least 15 inches, and the seeds should be placed within an
inch of the edge on each side. The particular object of
this is, of course, to leave a wide space between the plants
at the base, so that there will always be an abundance of
fresh air playing about them ; and this should be still further
encouraged when the plants are thinned out to the flowering
distances by removing those in the one row which come
opposite to those in the other ; the plants will thus stand
triangularly, or, as it is commonly termed in gardens,
" opposite vacancy."

Supporting the Plants. — No matter whether the plants
are growing in pots or the open ground, it is imperative
that they shall be given early support. The youngster
that is permitted to fall over and lie recumbent for only
a few hours is seriously prejudiced from the start, apart
altogether from the fact that there is always a danger, when
it is necessary for the plant to be drawn upright, that it

50 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

will be snapped off. The grower who desires to pose as
a philosopher will, of course, immediately affirm that he
had intended to top the plant in any case, and that he has
been saved the trouble ; but the probabilities are that his
private views on the point would be somewhat different.
The rule should be to place sticks to the seedlings before
they attain to the height of 4 inches, and to these pre-
liminary sticks the young plants should always be carefully
attached with bass or other convenient material. The Sweet
Pea is a tendril-producing plant, and in principle these
natural supports should be sufficient, but in practice this
seldom proves to be the case, and artificial support must be
given. For the early sticks the brashy parts may be cut
from the tops of the final stakes if desired, or the twigs
from an old besom may be requisitioned ; in any case they
ought to be about 15 inches in length, so that approxi-
mately they may be placed 3 inches deep in the soil and
extend 12 inches out of it. The chief point for the amateur
to keep in view in this early tying is to make perfectly
sure of adequate support without arresting the advancement
of the young plant, as will inevitably be done should the
ligature be put on too tightly.

Before the plants reach the tops of the twiggy sticks
the permanent ones must be put into position, and these
can be of hazel or other convenient natural wood ; or
ordinary, large-meshed, galvanised wire, or one of the

PLANTING OUT 51

excellent, specially made wire frameworks may be procured
for the purpose. It is indisputable that there still exists
in the minds of many amateurs a prejudice against any
other support than that of sticks, but the wire answers
perfectly well, and has the advantage of being to a large
degree permanent, since, if proper care is taken in storage
after use, it will last for many seasons, and thus come
out cheaper in the long run than sticks, except in those
districts where good sticks can be bought at low prices.
The height of the sticks or the wire, as the case may be,
will necessarily vary in accordance with the usual height
to which the plants attain in the district.

Planting Out. — When the plants are grown from seeds
sown under glass, either in the autumn or the spring, there
will come a time, almost invariably in April, w^hen they
will have to be put out into their permanent positions.
This operation demands both judgment and care — judg-
ment to know precisely when the plants and the weather are
both especially favourable, and care to guard against the
possibility of the smallest damage to the roots. One of the
commonest objections to sowing in large pots, rather than
in small ones, is that unless the entire mass of soil and roots
is planted intact, in which case the plants will be far too
close together, the roots will assuredly be more or less
seriously injured ; but this will not be so, provided that
proper care is taken in the process. When all the condi-

52 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

tions are satisfactory to the work being done, the soil in the
large pots should be allowed to get just on the dry side by
withholding water the day prior to the task, and then it will
be found exceedingly easy to separate the plants without a
single root being injured. As soon as the comparatively
dry mass is turned out of the pot, place it on its side on
the blade of the spade or a piece of board procured for
the purpose, and steadily press downwards, when the mass
will crumble and the plants can be individually chosen for
immediately planting.

It is most important when this is done that the soil shall
have been thoroughly soaked a few hours previously, so
that the roots shall not be put directly into dry soil, or they
will experience a check of more or less severity. It may or
may not be deemed necessary to water afterwards ; as a
general rule it is wise to do so, since it will settle the soil
well down to the roots ; but in all instances watering should
be done in advance if the ground is dry.

The distance of setting the plants, whether they are in
rows or clumps, will obviously be that at which the plants
will remain, since it is not now anticipated that there will
be any losses. Those who do not feel that they can sepa-
rate the masses without breaking several of the roots should
plant intact, and then draw out the stems to supports placed
at some distance from them, in order to ensure an ample
distance bet^veen the five in the group ; but unless this is

SINGLE-STEMMED PLANTS 53

done with the utmost skill it is not as satisfactory as divi-
sion. Plants in small pots will, of course, be put out with
the mass of soil and roots unbroken, as there would be no
benefit in any disturbance. The soil must be made firm,
but it should not be trodden down as hard as the proverbial
macadamised road, as is occasionally done, and especial
care must be taken in this operation if the soil is on the
wet side when the work is done, or it will settle down into
a close mass, impenetrable alike by water or air. In the
possible event of this occurring, the first available oppor-
tunity must be taken of opening it up, but be careful that
the roots are not disturbed in the process ; unless air can
penetrate, it is certain that the progress will not be as good
as it ought to be, and as it must be to give the best blooms.

Unless the plants are grown exclusively with a view to
the production of exhibition flowers, it is improbable that
they will be restricted to single stems. It is true that when
they are sown as thickly as Mustard and Cress, and thinning
is entirely neglected, they will only develop single stems, and
poor ones at that ; but if all parts of the plant have the
benefit of unobstructed light and fresh air there may be
any number from two to six stems, according to the fancy
of the grower ; but the more there are, the further must
the individual plants be set apart.

In most instances plants having three stems in a space
of 15 or 18 inches, preferably the latter, will give quite

54 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

satisfactory returns ; for the flowers will be excellent in
quality and carried on stout stems of good length. Whether
the plants will flower continuously over a protracted period
very largely depends upon the persistency with which the
grower keeps the blooms picked ; if he allows seed pods
to form, then he must expect to see the productiveness of
the plants fail rapidly. Just before the flowers attain to
perfection is the best time to gather, as well in the interests
of the flowers themselves as of the plants.

Immediately the plants are in their permanent positions
the grower should provide the supports necessary (where
wires are used it is better to set them in place beforehand and
plant up to them). The sticks must be sufficiently long to
permit of a good length going into the soil, or they will in-
evitably be blown down when the plants are in full activity
and there comes a high wind. They should be carried
perfectly uprightly or, and still better, lean outwards slightly
at the top, and not inwards, as is too commonly seen. When
the latter style is adopted not only is the support insuffi-
cient at the top, where it is more especially required, but
air is prevented from circulating freely among the growths,
and the result is that they do not blossom as profusely and
continuously as they would do were the conditions more
favourable. If the plants are grown in parallel lines, these
should run slightly north-east and south-west if possible,
and not dead north and south ; there ought to be a distance

WATERING AND FEEDING 55

of about 6 feet between them. The distance between clumps
must obviously depend upon their size ; some are only
3 feet in diameter, while others run to 6 feet, and even more
than that in many gardens.

Watering and Feeding.— If the soil is thoroughly and
deeply cultivated to start with, and generous applications
of manure are incorporated, it is not likely that the plants
will require any water until they are showing buds ; in any
event it is wise to defer watering until it becomes imperative,
especially where hard, tap water alone is available, for if
this is repeatedly given the temperature of the soil will be
gradually lowered until it reaches a point at which the
plants cannot absorb food. As soon as it is clear that
the soil is becoming dry, watering must be done, and it
should be such a soaking that the ground will be moistened
to a depth of about 3 feet. To ensure this it is necessary
to apply 3 gallons to the square yard on the majority of
soils, and 5 gallons will not be a drop too much on light
lands that overlie gravel. This done, the grower should not
make the slightest attempt to water a second time until the
soil is again almost quite dry.

With the plants in full bud and bloom, it will be essen-
tial to assist them with weak liquid manure, and this must
always be given when the soil is moist after rain or after
artificial waterings have been afforded. The quantity ought
to be exactly the same as with clear wat^r, and the latter

56 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

must always come between t^vo applications of liquid
manure. Just how often feeding will be needed depends
upon the condition of the soil and the plants, but nothing
is to be gained, and something may easily be lost, by
excessive applications.

In regard to the particular form of stimulant or food
that will be given, it may be taken for granted that each
grower will work according to his own convenience ; and
fortunately Sweet Peas are not fastidious in this matter,
but will, when in full vigour and perfect health, be thankful
for anything good that may happen to come along. The
principal point that the cultivator must keep in view is to
provide as great a change as possible, and in no circum-
stances to give the same food in the same form twice in
immediate succession. Soot-water or liquid manure from
the farm-yard will answer admirably, and a fairly safe guide
to strength is to give them of the colour of weak tea or pale
ale. As a special stimulant nitrate of soda or sulphate of
ammonia, at the rate of one ounce to the gallon of water, is
excellent, and will increase the richness of the colour in
both leaves and flowers ; but if nitrate of potash is at com-
mand it is superior to either of those named, for the reason
that it will improve the substance and texture of the blooms
as well as the colour. It must not be used at a greater
strength than half an ounce in each gallon of water, and
three gallons to the square yard should be the rule.

PLATE V
MRS. HUGH DICKSON

SURFACE CULTIVATION 59

In order to secure the full advantage of the food that
was originally put into the soil, and also that which is given
in the form of liquid manure, it is imperative that the surface
soil shall either be persistently loosened with a fork or a hoe,
or that a mulching of manure shall be spread over the entire
area. Obviously the latter is the better system, since at
the same time as it conserves the moisture in the soil it
adds food to it, and thus affords a double benefit. As a
rule the shorter the manure for top-dressing the better,
but if necessar}', longer stuff can be utilised, in which case
it is wise to fork it up occasionally, or it may settle down
into a close mass and prevent air penetrating freely into the
ground, thus doing as much, or even more, harm than good.
Before any mulching is applied the grower should loosen
the surface soil and destroy all weeds. In most cases it
will be wise to draw back the dressing when water or liquid
manure has to be given, replacing it as soon afterwards as
it is wise to go on the soil. It will also be found beneficial
to hose or syringe the plants forcibly on the evenings of
intensely hot, dry days.

Although the plants will continue to produce flowers in
succession over a long period when the management is
good, it is certain that there will come a time when they
show signs of failing, and the blooms will neither be so
numerous nor the stem stalks so long. The display in many
instances will be maintained by plants that have been grown

6o PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

on from later sowings, but when they are plainly exhausted
excellent results frequently accrue upon cutting them boldly
down to within 3 feet of the ground and starting them on
a new^ lease of life. The soil must be carefully loosened,
all mulching either pricked in or entirely removed ; water-
ing and feeding with liquid manure must be rather more
generous than was the case before ; a fresh application of
manure should be put on ; each plant must be limited to
three stems, and the reward will be a second crop of blooms,
about six weeks later, almost equal in quality and quantity
to the first flowers. This system does not always yield the
desired results, as much depends upon soil, situation, and
management, but the frequency of success is sufficient to
warrant a trial in all gardens.

No reference has yet been made to nitro-culture, which
was much talked about a short time ago. It now seems
clear, after most careful trials, that in thoroughly culti-
vated and intelligently manured garden soils the system of
treating the seeds or the soil with nitro-bacterine cultures
does not materially improve matters ; in some soils it
may be advantageous, while in others there is no differ-
ence between plants so treated and those grown in the
ordinary manner.

CHAPTER VI

CULTURE UNDER GLASS

The culture of Sweet Peas in pots under glass is not the
most satisfactory thing in the world to carry out. If the
structures are exceptionally light and the provision for
ventilation is perfect — these conditions prevail in market
growers' houses — the degree of success will satisfy those
who are not especially critical. In the ordinary green-
house, however, with its varied occupants, the results are
often the reverse of gratifying, for the plants take up a
considerable amount of space, demand incessant attention
from the time the seedlings appear through the surface
of the soil, and the flowers they yield are often few in
numbers and poor in substance. However, many growers
will make a trial, and it is hoped they will do thoroughly
well. The requisites are simple enough. There should be
10 or 12 inch pots perfectly drained and filled to within
an inch and a half or thereabouts of the rim with a
compost of three parts turfy loam, pulled to pieces and
used, except at the top, in a lumpy condition, and one part
of sweetened manure, with an addition of sand varying

6i

62 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

according to the consistency of the loam ; the stronger
the latter, the more sand is needed. Not more than six
plants should be placed in each pot, and when they are
staked care must be taken to run the supports outwards
at the top so as to ensure the utmost amount of light
and air reaching every part of the stems. During the early
stages it is necessary to water with great judgment, as it
is extremely easy to make a compost sour when roots are
not working freely in it ; but when the plants are in full
progress, both water and liquid manure, the latter, as usual,
weak and in good variety, will be essential. From the
commencement the plants must be given the lightest posi-
tion in the house. The temperature should never be ex-
cessive— a maximum of 50 degrees is quite warm enough,
unless there is a special reason for endeavouring to en-
courage the buds to expand rather more quickly ; and even
then it is well within the bounds of possibility that the
plants will draw up to a height of ten or more feet, and
there will not be hundreds of splendid flowers such as an
equal number of plants would yield out-of-doors.

The T^lemly and American winter-flowering varieties
answer well in suitable structures, but they are not gener-
ally adapted for amateurs' houses, for the reason^ already
given, that there is not sufficient light and air. In the
ordinary way the seeds should be sown early in the spring,
precisely at the same time as if the plants were for outdoor

CULTURE UNDER GLASS 63

culture, and the treatment throughout will be the same,
except that, instead of sowing in small pots, the seeds should
be put directly into those in which the plants are to bloom.
Or, if it is preferred, the seeds can be sown in boxes — which,
by the way, is an admirable system for general purposes
— and when the plants are 2 or 3 inches high they must
be transferred to the flowering pots. If pots of the size
suggested are not readily procurable, smaller ones may
be used with fewer plants in them, and they will then
demand even more care in feeding ; and the best results
will only be secured when collars are put inside the rims
of the pots for containing top-dressings of rich compost.

For winter-flowering, seeds should be sown in August
or September, and the plants will succeed best when they
are grown in thoroughly prepared soil which is not made
too rich with organic manures, as these latter encourage
gross growth.

CHAPTER VII

SWEET PEAS FOR THE GARDEN

Opinions vary as to whether plants grown in rows or
clumps produce the finer blooms, some growers insisting
that rows are preferable, while others are equally emphatic
that clumps give the better results. As a matter of fact
\here is probably little or no difference. The reason that
clumps came so conspicuously into favour was, no doubt,
that the soil was worked better, more space was given,
light reached all parts of every plant, and the natural
consequence was that the blooms were superior in every
respect to those grown on plants in rows under the care-
less system that prevailed before the Sweet Pea became
the important plant that it is at present. If the rows are
given the same chances as the clumps as far as mechanical
culture and manuring are concerned, and ample space
is allowed the plants, there will be nothing to choose
between the returns either in quantity or quality.

For the decoration of the garden, however, there is
much to be said in favour of clumps, since they can be

made to give a more artistic effect than rows. For the

64

SWEET PEAS FOR GARDEN 65

back line of a wide border a row of well-grown Sweet Peas
is unsurpassable in beauty, and if the colours are judiciously
chosen a mixture will be more attractive than individual
varieties kept separate ; but for beds, and placing at intervals
in borders, clumps of distinct varieties are to be preferred.
Much depends upon the extent of the bed or the border
how far the clumps should be set apart, but nothing is
gained by packing them until it is possible that the loose
sprays from one will find their way among the growths oi
the neighbouring clump, while it is of the utmost import-
ance, especially in borders, that they shall not present a
level line throughout the entire length, but that some
shall be set 3 feet back, while others will be 5 or 8 feet
away from the verge, or even more than that if there is
room. By adopting some such system as this, formality
is avoided.

Such clumps will give exhibition blooms if the culture
has been perfect throughout, but their value will lie mainly
in supplying continuous flowers for cutting, for the decora-
tion of rooms, and for distribution among friends. The
absolute necessity for close picking must never be over-
looked by those who require a long succession, which is
also substantially favoured by watering and mulching.

CHAPTER VIII

SWEET PEAS FOR DECORATIONS

In this one respect, if in no other, the Sweet Pea may be
said to be the foremost flower in British gardens at the
present day. Whether blossoms are required for the adorn-
ment of the home or for purposes of exhibition, the Sweet
Pea will meet every demand that is made upon it, and in
the hands of a skilful manipulator it is perfectly certain
that an arrangement can be made which will excel in
artistic beauty that which will be forthcoming from any
other flower.

Plants grown for the decoration of the garden will
yield thousands of flowers for cutting, and since it is not
essential in the filling of vases, epergnes, and other orna-
ments suitable for the display of the flowers, that each stem
shall carry four or more blooms on its length of anything
from 1 6 inches to 2 feet, it is not imperative to adopt
elaborate methods of procedure in the cultivation of the
plants. At the same time it must be kept in mind that
the plant which is grown in poor soil, and is still further
prejudiced by not being allowed an abundance of space in

ARRANGING SWEET PEAS t-j

which to grow, will neither give the numbers of flowers
nor the quality or richness of colour which go so far to
provide the most delightful effects.

In the majority of instances varieties of one, two, or
three colours are ample in each vessel, but occasionally
mixtures may be employed to create a decided change.
Care must be exercised to set the stems in such a
manner that each bloom shows its full charm, and to
this end the fewer the stems— provided, of course, that
the number is sufficient to properly furnish the receptacle
—the better; it is necessary, too, that the additions of
grasses and foliage are moderate, that it shall be clearly
apparent that the Sweet Peas are the display, and that
the supplementary things are merely put in with a view
to enhancing the effect.

CHAPTER IX

CUPID AND BUSH VARIETIES

We are indebted to America for both of these sections,
and it is well within the bounds of possibility that they
thrive perfectly in the climate of California and the United
States of America ; but they certainly do not flourish here,
and they are never likely to become popular.

The Bush varieties are precisely similar in their require-
ments to the general section, but instead of attaining to a
height of an)i;hing from 6 feet upwards, they only grow
between 3 and 4 feet. If they could be relied upon
to give abundant blossoms at that height they would
undoubtedly be welcome in the smaller gardens, for the
ordinary varieties are rather apt to take up more space
than the amateur can properly afford. Unfortunately the
Bush plants are not satisfactory in this respect ; therefore
they are rarely grown in this country. Some of these days
they may be so much improved that they will rival the
others in floriferousness, and when that time comes it is
safe to predict for them an era of popularity.

The Cupid section is, perhaps, less satisfactory still,

(A

CUPID SWEET PEAS 69

for it is generally easy to grow healthy plants that look
as though they would produce thousands of charming
blossoms, and then to see all the buds thrown off before
expansion ; a little of this sort of thing gets on the nerves
of the average Briton, and he resolves to let the Cupids
severely alone. Out-of-doors the best place for them is
in a hot, sunny situation on a rockery where the roots
and stems will be nearly baked, as they will then in a dry
season give plenty of flowers. Or if they are grown in
pots they must be stood in a position where they will get
sun enough to roast them, and afterwards they will some-
times develop all their buds perfectly. Six-inch pots are
the most convenient, and each will accommodate six plants ;
the soil should be the same as recommended for the ordi-
nary section, but it must not be used in quite as lumpy a
state. In any case the general culture of these two groups
is not specially recommended ; the grower who tries them
should be wary.

CHAPTER X

ENEMIES AND DISEASES

The Sweet Pea has claims upon the attention of cultivators
for many virtues — ease of management, cheapness of seeds,
freedom and persistency of flowering, and certainty of satis-
factory results if the conditions are favourable — so that
if it were afflicted with many and varied enemies and
diseases the grower would scarcely be justified in grum-
bling to any serious extent. Happily, however, it enjoys
a freedom from really bad attacks, and, with perhaps one
exception, all the troubles which do cause anxiety are
such as can be combated without any substantial outlay of
money or time. Preventive measures are possible in all
instances, and where the necessity arises for the adoption
of remedies, then these are such as can be procured and
applied without any loss of time or inconvenience. Taking
the enemies first, there are, roughly, only four which are
generally troublesome, and to three of these attention has
been drawn in previous chapters. They are mice, birds,
and slugs ; the fourth is green fly. Let us briefly refer
to each.

THE MOUSE PEST 71

There is very little doubt that in many gardens mice
are the worst pests of all, since, if they once set to work
upon the seeds, they will come in goodly numbers, and
the more of the palatable food they can find, the better
their appetites will become and the more damage they will
do. It is no uncommon thing, when precautionary measures
are not adopted, for practically the whole of the seeds sown
in pots or boxes in frames and greenhouses to be devoured ;
and this means not only loss of seeds, but, what is even
more annoying in the generality of instances, loss of time
in the production of blossoms. Out-of-doors, too, the
visitors will unerringly attack the best varieties, and leave
anything that is common or inferior either severely alone,
or until they have exhausted the good things of the earth,
and are compelled either to go hungry away afterwards or
partake of what still remains at their disposal.

Prevention, when the seeds are sown under glass, is
simplicity itself ; a square of glass placed over each pot
or box will keep the small marauders safely at bay. The
danger lies up to the stage of germination, and not beyond
it, and if w^e can protect the seeds, the plants, as far as
mice are concerned, are sure to go along all right. In
addition to the glass, traps of any convenient form and
make should be kept set, as it is desirable not only that the
mice should be stopped from attacking the seeds in the
boxes, but also from going abroad again and taking toll

72 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

of those that are in the ground out-of-doors. In gardens
where mice are numerous all seeds should be thoroughly
coated with red lead prior to sowing, as the mice do not
like this ; several traps ought always to be set in and near
their haunts ; and in case of necessity sharp cinders may
be freely mixed in the soil. This course is not, however,
altogether desirable, because, although they may do good
in the way of checking mice from devouring the seeds of
Sweet Peas, cinders are not invariably advantageous in the
culture of other crops ; and as the Sweet Peas are usually
planted on fresh quarters each season, they may become
something of a nuisance. Should it become a matter oi
the first importance, owing to the depredations, then the
cinders must go in, since Sweet Peas are assumed here
to be the principal crop of the garden.

After the seedlings show through the surface of the
soil there will be two enemies awaiting the delectable
morsels, and these are slugs and birds. Of these the
slimy slug is indisputably the worse with which to deal.
Trapping with small heaps of brewers' grains or other
bait is good, but it will not catch all the depredators.
Hunting must be made a daily pastime, and should be
followed up with all the enthusiasm that such a worthy
cause deserves. Applications of salt arc prompt in their
effects, and there is no fear that the slug that has been
completely covered with this will do any further harm

PLATE VI
CLARA CURTIS

SLUGS AND BIRDS 75

either among Sweet Peas or any other plants. Ridges of
Hme placed down each side of a row or encircling a clump
are regarded as wonderfully good, and for the few hours
that lime so exposed remains alive, all well and good ; but
its virtues are not lasting, and the slugs are quite intelli-
gent enough to know when they can work freely in it.
If lime is relied upon, it must be scattered among the plants
at frequent intervals, and will then be found a useful deter-
rent ; the same may be said for soot, but this must not be
used in a fresh state or it will destroy quite as many plants
as the slugs themselves, and the remedy becomes as bad as
the disease. Another excellent method of attacking slugs
is to dress the soil, in strict accordance with the instructions
given by the manufacturers, with one of the several soil
fumigants that are now upon the market. Neither slugs,
nor any other pest that lurks in the ground, likes this treat-
ment, and provided that the instructions are rigidly observed,
the plants will not suffer from the applications ; on the
contrary, marked benefit can often be directly traced to
them, apart altogether from the fact that they destroy the
enemy.

Coming now to the birds, with their voracious appetites,
it may be said at once that prevention is the only cure.
If the young plants are left exposed, whether they are
growing in frames or the open ground, the birds will get
all the food they can from them. It has already been said

76 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

that (he topping of the plants once will not materially affect
them, unless it be in a beneficial direction, but to allow
them to be repeatedly attacked is to court disaster. It is,
however, comparatively easy to prevent injury as far as the
young plants are concerned ; when it comes to keeping
sparrows from picking off the buds the story is a different
one, and the preventives are not as obvious. In regard to
seedlings, there are wire guards on the market which answer
admirably when placed over the lines ; or the cultivator may
safely rely upon home-made guards of wood at each end
of the rows from which strings or stout thread are closely
strung.

Birds should be kept from the plants in frames by
having a light framework of fine-meshed, galvanised wire
netting made the exact size of the light, and when the
latter is off, as it is frequently, the netting must be in use.
It must not be forgotten, even for half-an-hour, or much
injury may be done. The netting will not interfere with
the progress of the plants, since it does not prevent the
free admission and circulation of air, and it scarcely breaks
the rays of light.

The last enemy with which we have to deal is green fly.
When this pest becomes comfortably established on the plants
it will need all the grower's patience and perseverance to
exterminate it ; but it should never be allowed to settle
itself so firmly. If a close look-out is kept at all stages of

GREEN FLY ^j

growth, and every fly that is seen is promptly destroyed,
the trouble will be lessened materially. It multiplies with
extraordinary rapidity, and the descendants of one or two
pairs become a crowded city in a week. When the numbers
are considerable, dusting with tobacco powder or snuff, or
syringing with a solution of either tobacco or paraffin, will
do good ; but it is far better not to wait until these drastic
measures are necessary.

A useful solution of tobacco can be made by soaking
2 ounces of strong shag tobacco in one gallon of water.
To make a paraffin solution, boil 4 ounces each of soft soap
and quassia in separate vessels ; put the liquors together in
about a gallon and a half of water, place on the fire, and
when the whole lot is boiling furiously, remove the pot, put
in a wineglassful of paraffin, and stir vigorously ; the working
in of the oil when the water is boiling hard will go far to
ensure perfect amalgamation. All applications of either of
these washes are best made in the evening after the sun has
gone down, but this is not essential, provided that the mixing
is thorough and that no raw paraffin is floating about. The
syringe or sprayer used must be one capable of throwing
a fine film, not only because this is more economical, but
also because it is far more efficacious. Thrips occasionally
attack the points of the shoots, and must be destroyed by
hand picking.

The great scare in regard to diseases of Sweet Peas is

78 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

streak. What it really is, or whence it comes, no one has
any clear idea ; or if they have they are keeping the know-
ledge to themselves. Streak is not one half as prevalent as
the alarmists would have us believe. Directly a man finds
a plant yellowing a little at the base he decides that it is
streak, whereas it is far more likely to be ordinary Pea
mould, or even failure, for which no reason can be found,
but which is, generally speaking, more prevalent in old,
thoroughly cultivated garden soils which have been manured
year after year with natural manures and have gradually
become overstocked with humus.

There is undoubtedly a condition known as streak, and
odd plants will be destroyed, but if these are pulled up as
soon as they are seen, the grower will not suffer very great
loss, except in isolated gardens in which it has become
impossible to grow the plants. Those who do not under-
stand the difference between streak, mould, or yellowing
need not give themselves a moment's anxiety in the matter.
The thing is to pull up and burn the plant in any case,
for the simple reason that the mould is difficult, and often
impossible to cure ; the yellowing is not a disease in the
strict sense of the word, and cannot be cured; while nothing
being known about streak, it is obviously impossible for the
cultivator to take any effectual remedial measures.

If the enemies and diseases which attack Sweet Peas
were as numerous and varied in character as those that pay

STREAK AND FUNGUS MOULD 79

their unwelcome attentions to many other plants the trouble
might become a real one, but up to the present it is nothing.
Of course, the man who has mould, or yellowing, or who
suspects streak will adopt preventive measures, and the
most effectual is to change the position of the plants, putting
them as far away from the infested area as possible in the
following season. He will supplement this by generous
dressings of lime, spreading it on the surface to a depth of
half an inch or thereabouts, and after a week or ten days
pricking it into the ground. This will destroy the spores
of any fungi with which it may happen to come in contact,
and will at the same time sweeten and immensely improve
the fertility of the soil. The genuine streak, it may be of
interest to note, runs in clearly defined, dark lines up the
stems, but at a certain stage of mould the resemblance of
this disease is very close.

CHAPTER XI

FIFTY STANDARD VARIETIES

The increase in the number of varieties is such that there

are somewhere between 600 and 8co which are possibly

obtainable. Not a single grower knows all of these,

and probably not one of them desires that knowledge.

Hundreds have been superseded by later introductions of

superior merit, while among others the differences are so

slight, that only those who are especially desirous of seeing

them can find them ; the ordinary individual, even if he be a

whole-souled enthusiast, may have a dim idea that the two

similar flowers are not identical, but he cannot say definitely

where the difference is or of what it consists.

The raiser of new varieties finds many swans ; the grower

who purchases them finds many geese, and wretchedly poor

ones at that. The buyer blames the distributor for putting

inferior varieties upon the market ; the distributor blames

the buyer for insisting on getting a constant succession

of new names. It is probable that the purchaser is the

more to blame of the two, since he will not be contented

to grow the same varieties season after season, with an

89

STANDARD VARIETIES 8i

addition of two or three new ones each year, but must
have a dozen or more novelties to keep his keenness up to
concert pitch ; the raiser and distributor know that there is
the demand, and it is only human nature to try to provide
the supply.

All Sweet Pea growers would complain if the supply
of novelties ceased ; their introduction is desirable ; but
novelties must be either decidedly superior to, or totally
distinct from, any varieties already in commerce. Slight
improvements or variations which can only be seen under a
microscope are not wanted, and they will eventually do far
more harm to the flower than they will good, for the simple
reason that many amateurs will become tired of paying
high prices without receiving reasonable compensation. \

The Court of Appeal will have to be the National Sweet
Pea Society, which must make itself so strong and so re-
liable that every one in the Sweet Pea world, no matter
whether he dwell in this country, or in any of the British
possessions over the seas, or in any foreign country, will
accept the Society's decision that this or that novelty from
this or that source is absolutely distinct, markedly superior,
and thoroughly fixed, and therefore worthy of purchase.
When the Society adopts such a policy, some people,
being dissatisfied, will threaten to withdraw their support,
and the thing will be to let them go. Directly the flood
of prosperity sets in it will continue to flow, and for

82 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

each one who falls out a score will fall in ; and later, the
malcontents will see that the work is to their interests
and will come back into the ranks. Any wavering on the
part of the Society from a clearly defined line of straight-
forward action will contribute to the commencement of its
downfall, and when this starts it will not be found easy to
stop it. The Society should live as well for the trade
grower and distributor as for the amateur, and if it serve
both well it will be fulfilling the task for which it was
established. Should any one who reads this book not
yet be a member of that Society, he ought to become
one at once, for he will find the modest fee an excellent
investment.

From the immense number of varieties now in com-
merce, it is no easy task to select as few as sixty and feel
able to affirm that these are the best that can be grown.
But the task must be attempted, since a complete catalogue,
although it may have a certain interest, cannot have a
practical value to the man who wants to start a collection,
for he would not know which are distinct and meritorious.

In the subjoined selections it may be well to state at
once that no variety is mentioned which was not in com-
merce in the spring of 19 14, so that it is safe to assert that
all of them will be seen at the exhibitions of the National
Sweet Pea and other Societies in parts of the country.
The learner may utilise the list as suggestive, and then

STANDARD VARIETIES 83

seek in the gardens of his friends and at the shows for
the varieties recommended, when he will find it a com-
paratively easy matter to choose those which especially
appeal to him in colour and form.

The colour classification of the National Sweet Pea
Society will be followed (except in one instance, i.e. Elfrida
Pearson, which the Society classes as a pale pink against
the concensus of opinion, with which I am in accord, that
it is a blush pink), as this will still further facilitate the
subsequent making of selections by individual growers.
No descriptions will be appended to the varieties; these
can be procured from the catalogues either of the Society
or seed merchants.

Bicolor. — Mrs. Cuthbertson.

Bicolor {Dark). — Marks Tey.

Bhie (Zz^/z/).— Anglian Blue. Flora Norton Spencer.

Blue {Dark).~Lox^ Nelson Spencer. Blue Jacket.

Blush {Pink). — Elfrida Pearson.

Blush {Lilac). — Agricola.

Carmine. — John Ingman.

Cerise {Pale).— F.d\{h. Taylor.

Cerise {Deep). — Decorator.

Cream, Buff, and pjorjy. —Dohbie's Cream.

Cream-pink {Pale).— Mrs. Routzahn. Duplex Spencer.

Creafu-pink {Deep).— Mrs, R. Hallam. Doris Usher.

Cnmson.— Bobbie's Sunproof Crimson.

84 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

Fancy. — Prince George. Coronation.

Lavender. — Lavender George Herbert. R. F. Felton.

Lavender {Pale).—V^2Mtv P. Wright.

Lilac. — Dorothy.

Magenta. — Menie Christie.

Marbled and Watered. — May Campbell.

Maroon. — Nubian. King Manoel.

Maroon (Red).— Red Chief. Brunette.

Mauve (Pale). — Bertrand Deal Improved-

Mauve {Dark). — Wenvoe Castle.

Orange-pink. — Edrom Beauty. Orange Perfection.

Orange-scarlet. — Thomas Stevenson.

Picotee-edged {Cream ground). — Mrs. C. W. Breadmore.

Picotee-edged ( White ground). — Elsie Herbert.

Pink {Deep). — Hercules. Countess Spencer.

Rose. — Rosabelle.

Salmon. — Barbara. Inspector.

Salmon-pink. — Lady Miller.

Scarlet. — Dobbie's Scarlet. Scarlet Emperor.

Striped and Flaked {Purple and Blue). — Loyalty.

Striped and Flaked {Chocolate on Grey ground). — ^W. R.
Beaver.

Striped and Flaked {Red and Rose). — Mrs. W. J. Unwin.

White.— King White. Etta Dyke.

The order in which the names are given in each colour
is not necessarily that of merit. It may be accepted that,

STANDARD VARIETIES 85

with one or two exceptions, all of these are quite distinct,
but those who desire to Hmit their collections to varieties
which are perfectly dissimilar, and to have a representative
of each colour group, might do worse than make a start
with the following sorts and improve upon it according to
their individual tastes : Mrs. Cuthbertson, Marks Tey, Flora
Norton Spencer, Lord Nelson Spencer, Elfrida Pearson,
Agricola, John Ingman, Edith Taylor, Decorator, Dobbie's
Cream, Mrs. Routzahn, Doris Usher, Dobbie's Sunproof
Crimson, Prince George, Lavender George Herbert, Walter
P. Wright, Dorothy, Menie Christie, May Campbell, Nubian,
Red Chief, Bertrand Deal Improved, Queen of Norway,
Edrom Beauty, Thomas Stevenson, Mrs. C. W. Breadmore,
Elsie Herbert, Hercules, Rosabelle, Barbara, Lady Miller,
Dobbie's Scarlet, Loyalty, W. R. Beaver, Mrs. W. J. Unwin,
and King White.

CHAPTER XII

IN THE LIBRARY

A FEW years ago there were no books wholly devoted to
the Sweet Pea, except those which were more in the form
of catalogues published by one of the great Californian
seed-growers. But the institution of the National Sweet
Pea Society changed all that.

It is to the Society's credit that it was the first to
issue a book on the Sweet Pea ; this was the report of the
Bicentenary Celebration held at the Crystal Palace in 1899.
After a short interval the Society commenced to issue its
Annual, intended to foster a love of the flower, and to
widely distribute information in reference to cultural matters
and varieties. These issues were followed in rapid suc-
cession by others from private sources. For the complete
list that is given below we are mainly indebted to Mr. C.
Harman Payne's Florist's Bibliography.

The Report of the Sweet Pea Bicentenary. Published
by the National Sweet Pea Society, and now probably
unprocurable.

IN THE LIBRARY 87

The Sweet Pea Annual, 1905, -6, -7, -8, -9, and -10.
Edited by Horace J. Wright and Charles H. Curtis, and
published by the Society. Free to members and affiliated
Societies. Issued to the public at 2s., post free.

Sweet Peas and their Cultivation. By Charles H. Curtis.
Published by W. H. & L. Collingridge. Price is. in paper
boards, and is. 6d. in cloth.

The Culture of Sweet Peas. By Richard Dean. Pub-
lished by the Agricultural and Horticultural Association.
Price one penny.

The Sweet Pea, One of the series of Horticultural
Handbooks issued by Hobbies.

How to Grow Sweet Peas. By Thomas Stevenson and
W. F. May.

All about Sweet Peas. By Robert Sydenham. Pub-
lished personally. Price 6d.

Sweet Peas and How to Grow Them. By Harry H.
Thomas. Published by Cassell & Co. Price is. in paper
boards, and is. 6d. in cloth.

A Second Account of Sweet Peas. By A. P. Wyman
and M. G. Kains. Bulletin 127 of the Cornell University,
Horticultural Division, Ithaca, N.J.

Culture and History of Winter Flowering Sweet Peas.
By Anthony C. Zvolanek.

Book about Sweet Peas. By Walter P. Wright. Pub-
lished by Headley Bros. Price 2s. and 2s. 6d.

88 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

The Book of the Sweet Pea. By D. B. Crane. Pub-
lished by John Lane. Price 2s. 6d.

Sweet Peas Up-to-Daie. By G. W. Kerr. Published by
W. Atlee Burpee. U.S.A.

Les Pois de senteur. By G. D. Clark, Dover. Published
personally.

CHAPTER XIII
CULTURE OF SWEET PEAS FOR EXHIBITION

By Thomas Stevenson

In considering the subject of Sweet Peas for exhibition, I
am led to recall the circumstances of ten years ago. At
that time there certainly were classes for Peas at some of
the leading shows, but the exhibitors did not treat the
matter very seriously ; nor was it difficult to win prizes.
Even to-day the prizes are never very high, nor are there
large numbers of classes, but Sweet Pea growers are so
enthusiastic that the classes are well filled and Sweet Peas
occupy at least one-third of the space devoted to cut flowers,
and far outclass any other individual flower, not excepting
the Rose. All the time the exhibition is open an enthu-
siastic crowd may be seen round the exhibits, discuss-
ing the merits of each variety. This is not all, for when
travelling to or from the city by tram, train, or 'bus, one
can again hear the merits of every variety discussed, not by
one, but by scores of men, who seem to have only one end
in view, namely, the exhibiting of Peas. It may not be in

large, open competitions, but just a friendly affair arranged

89

90 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

by members of one firm, or possibly the clerks in one office ;
there are scores of these competitions held in London
alone. It is this class of exhibitor that the present chapter
may benefit more than any other, for such growers are
always anxious to improve their knowledge whereby they
can gain a point or two at future exhibitions.

In order to be successful in exhibiting Sweet Peas, as in
all other things, a certain amount of time and thought is
absolutely necessary, and nothing from start to finish must be
performed in a perfunctory manner. Method, hard work,
and attention to the smallest detail must be practised by every
one who would attempt to follow in the footsteps of such
men as Jones, Malcolm, Cole, Hopkins, and Usher. These
giants would tell you that their plants are given daily, yes
hourly, attention from the day the seeds are sown to the time
the haulm is pulled up and burnt after harvesting the seeds.

Seed Sowing. — There are various dates and methods
recommended for sowing the seed of Sweet Peas, some
favouring one time and some another. Many exhibitors
sow out-of-doors in autumn, and in gardens where the
soil is of a light nature and exceptionally well drained
this method succeeds admirably. Others sow in pots in
autumn, and winter the young plants in cold frames ; while
still others sow the seeds in spring, either in pots or in the
open ground. By each method success may be obtained.
Before deciding which system is best to adopt there are

PLATE VII
SUNPROOF CRIMSON

SEED SOWING 93

many things to be taken into consideration, such as the
locaHty, whether in the northern or southern counties ;
whether the soil is light and warm, or cold and heavy ; and
lastly, what are the dates when the flowers will be required
to be at their best.

From observations made during a number of years on
light and heavy soils in both dry and wet seasons, I have
come to the conclusion that sowing in pots in autumn is
by far the best system ; but I would i^t go as far as to
suggest that cultivators should have all their eggs in one
basket, as it were, but rather that they should try the two
systems, sowing in pots in autumn and sowing in pots in
spring. At the same time I have no doubt in my own
mind as to which system will give the largest and best-
coloured flowers, with good stems, and which plants will
continue to bloom for the greatest length of time. Even in
1909, which was anything but an ideal season, the autumn-
sown plants commenced blooming early, giving flowers
larger, stronger, and better able to withstand ungenial
weather than those sown in the spring, and they flowered
freely until the end of September. Plants raised in autumn
and kept hardy all the winter make a greater proportion of
roots than top growth. The roots are very hardy, and
when planted out early in April quickly take hold of the
soil and develop young roots, which are not by any means
so tender and susceptible to cold as the softer roots of

94 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

spring-sown plants, so that growth from the outset is more
vigorous and hardy. For autumn sowing in pots, seeds
must be obtained early from the seedsmen, as they should
be sown by the middle of October. A fairly light com-
post should be prepared consisting of loam and leaf-mould,
and a little sand to keep it porous ; the addition of bone
meal, say a 5-inch potful to a wheelbarrow load of the
compost, will not be detrimental, though it is not really
necessary. The one aim should be to keep the plants as
sturdy as possible. Pots 5 inches or 6 inches in diameter
are the best to use, and they should be filled to within
i^ inches of the rim with the compost, pressing it only
moderately firm. Five or six seeds may be put round the
sides of the 5-inch pot, while eight or nine may be put
in a 6-inch pot. Some of the larger and harder seeded
varieties should be chipped before sowing with the point of
a knife (be careful not to injure the interior), to induce
them to germinate quickly. I have found seeds of Elsie
Herbert quite hard and sound after being sown for two or
three months, and which afterwards pushed through the soil
in a very few days after having a little of the hard skin
removed. Cover the seed over with soil, and place the
pots in a cold frame, after which a thorough soaking of
water must be applied. Place the lights on the frame,
and keep it moderately close until the young plants appear
through the soil, when air must be given freely, and as the

SPRING SOWING 95

plants get harder the lights may be removed entirely on fine
days, but not before taking the precaution to put an old
fruit net over the frame, or there will be trouble with the
birds. I ought to have said that at the time of sowing the
seeds a few small pieces of bread-and-butter should be
coated with phosphorus paste and placed about among the
pots to poison mice that may be present. Prevention is
better than cure in such cases. After the plants are nicely
up and in leaf the lights should only be put on in the event
of very wet or frosty weather. In cases of prolonged frost
or snow it will be wise to cover the frames with mats, but
do not coddle the plants too much ; take the mats off every
day and admit air, if only for an hour or two. A little
frost will not hurt the plants when they are moderately
dry at the root ; therefore the necessary watering should
be done as much as possible when the weather is mild.

Spring sowing in pots should be done in February, and
as February is an unusually cold month it will be best to
place the pots on a shelf in a cool house until the plants
are through the soil, when they may be taken to a cold
frame and treated similarly to the autumn-sown plants,
adopting the same precautions against mice, slugs, birds,
and frost.

Where a fairly large quantity of plants is required, say
from three to four dozen of one variety, boxes may be
employed in place of pots, and they can be handled with

96 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

greater convenience. The boxes should be from 4 to 5
inches deep, and the seeds should be placed about 2 inches
apart, covering them with | inch of soil. They will germinate
even quicker in boxes than in pots, owing, no doubt, to the
greater amount of soil and a more equal degree of moisture.

When sowing in pots avoid using new pots, for on
one or two occasions I have found when the young roots
have come in contact with the sides they have been
killed outright (possibly through something that has been
used in the manufacture of the pots). This was even after
the pots had been soaked for an hour or two in a tank of
water before using them.

Sowing Out-of-doors in Autumn.— Only in very favoured
localities can this method be practised with any degree of
success for exhibition purposes, but where the soil is light
and the atmosphere generally fairly dry and free from
fog, autumn sowings out-of-doors are usually productive
of early flowers. I have not found them quite as early
as spring-sown plants — indeed they are sometimes very
much later in blooming than those planted out from pots,
notwithstanding the fact that the soil and situation are all
that could be desired for the purpose. Another point worth
consideration is the amount of seed necessary for outdoor
sowing, for one must make an allowance of 50 per cent, at
the least for the ravages of birds, slugs, mice, and frost. I
cannot recommend the adoption of this method except in

SOWING IN AUTUMN 97

cases where the conditions are very favourable ; however,
those who wish to try it should have the ground prepared
early in September (as will be advised later), so as to sow
the seeds at the beginning of October. Many failures
occur through the seeds being sown too early, for the
plants then get so tall that they are easily injured by frost.
Two drills should be drawn from 2 to 3 inches deep,
and about i foot asunder, placing the seed, which must
be coated with red lead, about 2 inches apart in the drills,
and covering it carefully with line soil ; if this is of a very
light nature it may be trodden lightly over.

As soon as the young plants appear through the ground
they must be dusted over with soot to ward off slugs, and
this must be done frequently right through the winter.
Wire guards must be put over them to keep off birds ; or
benders with fish-netting will answer quite as well.

A keen look-out must be kept for mice, or they will
eat the young plants off close to the ground. Pieces
of bread covered with phosphorus paste should be put
frequently here and there along the rows. Trapping may
also be employed, and I have found nothing better than
the old figure 4 trap in conjunction with two slates.

When possible the soil must be kept lightly stirred with
a small hand-hoe, taking care to have the surface quite fine,
as the coarser the soil round the plants, the more harbour
there is for slugs.

98 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

As soon as the plants begin to grow in the spring
they will require staking, but this matter will be treated
of later.

Spring Sowing Out-of-doors. — This is similar to autumn
sowing, and may be done in light soils during February,
but, generally speaking, early in March is the better time.
There is then not much fear of losses by frost, the only
critical time being when the seedling is just pushing out
its young shoots ; then, if the conditions are wet and a
severe frost sets in, they are apt to get frozen, but once
they pass through the ground any ordinary frost will not
injure them in the least. The general instructions given
for the autumn sowing apply equally well to this sowing.
I have never seen Peas sown out-of-doors, even in spring,
grow so strongly or give such good results as those sown
indoors and planted out.

Preparation of the Ground. — This work is most essen-
tial in the successful cultivation of Sweet Peas, for nothing
that can be done afterwards will compensate for neglect in
this matter. A few extra hours' work, or an extra load of
manure, will be more than repaid by the better results.

In choosing a position for growing exhibition Peas,
endeavour to secure a piece of ground that is fairly exposed
and which has not grown any leguminous plants for a
year or two. If it is sheltered on one or two sides from
the cold winds, then so much the better ; and a little shade

PREPARATION OF GROUND 99

at some period of the day may not hurt them ; but the
ground must not be overhung by large trees, or it will
be found that not only will the tops shade the Peas too
much, but the tree roots will rob the soil of nourishment
required by the Peas. For autumn sowing the ground
must be trenched early in September, but for those Peas
raised in pots for planting out in the spring it need not
be trenched until later. In fairly light soils any time after
November will do, as a little consolidation afterwards will
not hurt ; but for heavy, retentive soils, which during rains
are apt to run together again, the months of January and
February provide the best time. The trenching should
be done at least three spits deep, and when the subsoil
is heavy and close, plenty of opening material, such as
leaves, sweepings from the flower-garden, wood-ashes, and
old lime rubble, may be worked in. Do not put the
materials in layers, but incorporate them with the soil.
In the bottom and second spit plenty of good, rich
manure should be utilised. Manure from the cow-yard or
bullock pens is very good, or, if it could be procured from
a butcher who kills his own cattle and throws the blood
over the manure heap, this will be better still, and will not
need to be used in quite such large quantities. Failing
these, however, ordinary stable manure will answer admir-
ably ; but neither must be left in layers in the trench, for
once the roots get into large quantities of it they will stay

100 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

there, instead of going further afield. Then the growth
will be sappy, and will fail just at a critical time, and we
shall hear of another bad attack of streak, or some such
disease. Neither must this strong manure be brought
nearer than one foot to the surface of the soil. In the
top spit a little bone-meal, soot, and wood ashes may be
worked, and during the operation all the soil must be
thoroughly well broken up with the spade or fork, not
leaving it in large lumps, as the finer the soil the more
likely are the roots to ramify in it ; and in this free root
action lies the great secret of success.

It is a practice with some people when trenching to
bring the bottom spit to the top, and when the soil has
been trenched a number of times it may answer well ; but
if the subsoil is very heavy and clayey it is best to leave it
underneath, and put plenty of leaves and other opening
material with it for a year or two, when it will be in a better
condition for sowing or planting. Generally speaking, after
skimming the surface, and putting this in the bottom of the
trench, it is better to keep the top spit on the top, although
this will cause a little more labour when trenching.

As the trenching operation proceeds, apply a good
sprinkling of lime over the surface ; this will tend to sweeten
the soil, as well as make it more workable. On very heavy
soil ridging may be done even after trenching, thus exposing
a large amount of soil to the action of the weather. When

PLANTING EXHIBITION PEAS loi

the time comes for planting, these ridges, broken down, will
provide a good amount of dry soil for planting in or for
sowing seeds, whichever is wished.

Planting. — If the young plants have been hardened
off, and the soil is in a proper workable condition, the
autumn-sown plants may be put out any time after the
middle of March, and the spring-sown ones as soon after
as possible. Make quite sure first that the plants are hard
in the stem by exposing them to plenty of air. A day or
two before planting, the surface of the soil should be lightly
forked over and a little superphosphate worked into it.

For exhibition purposes Sweet Peas ought to be planted
in rows, and if these extend from east to west those varieties
that require shading will only need it on one side of the
row. When planting, endeavour to put all such varieties as
near together as possible. For economy of space planting
should be done in double rows, i foot apart, allowing
about I foot from plant to plant ; and if 6 feet can be
allowed from centre to centre of each pair of rows this will
be ample, but if the cultivator is pushed for space a distance
of 5 feet will suffice. Shake out each plant individually,
taking care not to damage the roots ; make a good hole,
and spread the roots out carefully ; press the soil well around
them, and be particularly careful around the collar of the
plant. Next give a thorough sprinkling of soot. It will
be found that the autumn-sown plants will require some

102 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

support immediately after planting ; small twigs of birch
placed round each plant will keep them from toppling
about, and shelter them somewhat from the wind.

Spring-sown plants will naturally be somewhat shorter
than the others, and may not require staking until two or
three weeks have elapsed ; but if sticks or twigs are at hand
it is just as well to do them right away, and it will save
treading the ground over twice. If the plants have been
properly hardened previous to planting there is not the
slightest fear of injury by frost, as I have known instances
of from 15° to 20° of frost the night after planting, and
still the plants have not suffered ; the worst injury is not
caused by cold, but by wet weather and easterly winds.
After placing the short stakes, fork the ground over lightly
between the rows, and spread an old fish-net over the
whole patch ; this will protect the plants from birds and
the wind.

If planting in clumps is preferred, each clump, of about
five or six plants, should not be less than 4 feet apart each
way, to allow plenty of room for staking and for getting
about among them. Other cultural conditions will be
exactly the same as for plants in rows.

When the planting is done there will not be much else
needing attention for some little time, but strict observa-
tions must be maintained, and applications of soot made to
keep slugs from injuring the plants. Wireworm may cause

PLATE VIII
MASTERPIECE

STAKING 105

a plant or two to die, and vacancies of this kind should
be made good, but not before the enemy has been found
and killed.

Staking. — When the plants are from 9 inches to i foot
high staking should be done, and this is a task that necessi-
tates some little trouble. A few years ago one just staked
Sweet Peas as an ordinary row of culinary Peas, but now
that more trouble is taken in thinning the bine or haulm,
staking has to be done accordingly. I know no better
method than putting a strong pole at the end of each row,
with one in the centre if a long row, with cross-pieces, one
about 3 feet up and the other 7 to 8 feet. To these cross-
pieces strain a wire from end to end, and then use long
hazel stakes, inclining them towards the wires, and placing
a tie here and there to make them tidy and flat. By
inclining the tops of the stakes inwards, and training the
plants on the outside of these, all the flowers will develop
freely, and not come deformed, as many of them do, if
allowed to grow up anyhow between the stakes. This
method entails much extra labour, but it results in the
flowers having good, strong, and straight stems, which
are easy of arrangement when they are brought to the
exhibition.

For supporting clumps it is a good plan to make a
strong wire hoop, or a twisted hazel will do, any size that
is required. To this the tops of the stakes can be tied.

io6 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

and it will keep them firm and prevent them being blown
about by strong winds.

Thinning. — It will be found that autumn-sown plants
will break out pretty freely from the base, quite close to the
ground, and if the centre shoot does not appear to be
growing away kindly, cut this out, and take up t\vo or three
of these basal shoots, but do not on any account overcrowd
them. When they are between i8 inches and 2 feet high,
bring the shoots to the outside of the stakes as advised, and
give a tie here and there to keep them in position. This
also applies to the spring-sown plants, except that the main
shoot in this case is sure to grow away freely, and it is
only necessary to supplement these according to the space
to be filled. One shoot every 4 or 6 inches is quite close
enough. As the plants make growth, keep the ground
hoed and apply soot at least every fortnight ; this will
stimulate the plants as well as protect them. Beyond
the shoots mentioned, keep all side growths pinched out
and tie the leaders as often as necessary ; but if good,
bushy, hazel sticks are used the tendrils will lay hold
of them well, so that the tying will not be a very formid-
able task.

Mulching, Feeding, and Watering. — The practice of
mulching Sweet Peas heavily with strong manure as soon as
they are staked is not to be recommended. At the time of
staking a sprinkling of well-decayed manure or leaf-mould

MULCHING REQUIRES CARE 107

may be given between the two lots of plants forming the
rows, also for about 6 inches on either side, but beyond
this I do not believe in it unless there is very protracted
dry weather. Hoeing has effects quite as good ; it keeps
the plants steadier, and does not tend to make them sappy,
as is the case with a heavy mulch. In heavy soils it takes
a long time for the sun to thoroughly warm the ground, and
unless it is thoroughly warm, good-quality Peas cannot be
obtained from it. Therefore do not mulch the rows until
flowering has well commenced and there is hot, dry weather.
On lighter soils mulching may be done earlier, but on
either class of soil choose moss litter or a mulch of light
manure, such as fairly fresh horse-droppings mixed with
leaf-soil, rather than heavier material. This mulch can be
hoed over in much the same way as the soil, but after it has
been on some time and the plants are doing well, roots will
be found running very freely among the manure. The
hoeing must then cease, and a little more material may be
added, but do not on any account use short grass-mowings
except in very small quantities, for in wet weather they
form a slimy mass and hinder the air from getting to
the roots.

Sweet Peas are gross feeders, but if the soil is thoroughly
well tilled and manured they do not like too much manure
afterwards, for if the roots can find plenty of food in their
journey downwards the plants will keep very strong for some

io8 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

time after they have commenced to bloom. If, however,
they require feeding, give them farm-yard liquid manure
about once a week, alternated with waterings of clear water,
this latter only in the event of dry weather. Do not use
artificial manures as a regular thing, but rather rely on them
to give a little extra stimulus just previous to a show, and
one or two waterings will generally suffice. Nitrate of soda,
nitrate of potash, and sulphate of ammonia can each be
relied on to give an extra fillip to the plants, provided that
the ground has been properly manured before planting.
Either of these should be used two or three weeks before
a show, and if the weather is wet a slight sprinkling may
be given to the ground on each side of the rows, but if
dry it is as well to use it in the water at the rate of | lb.
to 50 gallons of water.

On dry, porous soils, after the plants are well in bloom,
they will appreciate any quantity of water, and much more
manure than on heavy ground. On hea\7 land great care
must be exercised, for an extra dose of either manure or
water will tend to make the buds drop, and the blooms
that do open will be thin and of a poor colour. There-
fore, in either feeding or watering, try to be guided by
the requirements of the plants, and err rather on the
under side than the reverse.

Preparing and Cutting the Blooms. — Many people
remove all bloom buds as they appear until about a fortnight

BLOOMS FOR EXHIBITION 109

or so before the exhibition. This may be wise, but I hardly
think so, particularly if the plants are in vigorous health,
for good colour and refinement in the flower are desirable
qualities; extra coarse stems, with the blooms straggling
here and there at varying distances apart, are not the only,
or, indeed, the best qualities. By allowing the plants to
bloom, and cutting the spikes when the first flower is open,
it will not unduly exhaust the plant, but it will prevent
coarseness of flower and the tendency of the colour to
run and streak ; the stems also become firmer and have
not the same tendency to hang their heads when set up
in a warm tent.

Unfortunately, there are a few varieties that cannot
withstand the sun, such, for instance, as the orange-shaded
flowers and one or two of the crimson and scarlet varieties ;
but, nevertheless, they do not require much shade. I have
seen various things tried for shading purposes, but nothing
answers so well as old fish-nets, three or four thicknesses, and
placed well away from the plants. If this is put on three
clear days before the show it will prove quite sufficient, but
it must be removed again when not required, though this
is really not so imperative as when tiffany is used; this
latter material excludes much air as well as light, and on
really hot days the blooms will scald from want of air as
badly as they would burn by the sun.

In cutting flowers for the show the exhibitor must be

no PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

guided somewhat by the prevailing weather conditions, but,
generally speaking, they should be placed in water for five
or six hours before being packed for travelling. If the
weather is dry, try to cut the flowers on the evening before
the show, but not after dew has commenced to fall. Place
them in water in a dry, airy shed, and give the blooms plenty
of air space between them. If wet weather prevails, then cut
the flowers several hours earlier, and place them in vases
or jars in a house where there is just a trifle of heat, giving
plenty of air. They will be found to dry fairly quickly if
treated in this manner, and, packed carefully, I have seen
them come up fresh and unmarked after twenty hours in
the hampers.

Packing for Transmission to Show.— Many methods
are employed for carr^-ing the flowers, but flat hampers
about 5 inches deep are far and away the best. They
hold one layer of bunches only, so there is no danger of
crushing; neither is there much danger of the flowers spoil-
ing through moisture accumulating as it does in boxes.
If the weather is very hot and dry, line the basket with
waxed paper — this prevents too much evaporation ; and if
the blooms are wet and the weather damp, then use very
soft tissue-paper, and this will absorb a fair amount of the
moisture. Immediately on arriving at the show, endeavour
to get the flowers unpacked and placed in water. If this
can be done four or five hours before judging commences,

SHOWING THE FLOWERS m

the blooms will have every opportunity of looking their
best. If they have been cut fairly young they will grow
considerably after being put in water.

Setting up the Flowers. — It is assumed that more
blooms will be taken to the show than are actually required ;
but do not overdo this. Choose the cleanest sprays with
at least three flowers on a stem, and endeavour to place
each bloom so that it stands quite apart from its neighbour ;
a crowded vase generally gives the judge an impression
that there is something to hide.

In arranging the vases on the table, try to give each
row a fall of about 6 inches from the one behind it, and
place the colours nearest together that form the most
pleasing combinations, not relying too much on harsh
contrasts, but at all times endeavouring to get as many
distinct shades into the collection as possible.

See that each vase is correctly and legibly named, and
make a point of carefully looking over them to see that no
stray bloom has crept into a vase, or disqualification will
result. In the event of your exhibit not obtaining the
award looked for, do not forget that the judges have not
the biassed view of things you are likely to have ; they
invariably do their best.

Varieties for Exhibition. — Do not grow too many
varieties, and do not actually depend on a new variety for
exhibition until you have tried a clump or two to satisfy

112 PRESENT-DAY GARDENING

yourself as to its merits and as to the percentage of rogues
it is likely to contain.

A few varieties that can be thoroughly recommended
for exhibition are : —

King White, Bobbie's Sunproof Crimson, John Ingman,
Bobbie's Cream, Elfrida Pearson, Audrey Crier, Hercules,
Gladys Burt, Margaret Atlee, Edrom Beauty, Lavender
George Herbert, Masterpiece, Mrs. W. J. Unwin, Mrs. C.
W, Breadmore, Elsie Herbert, King Manoel, Marquis Im-
proved, Mrs. Cuthbertson, Marks Tey, Mrs. G. Charles,
Princess Mary, Lady Evelyn Eyre, Agricola, Edith Taylor,
Kathleen, Majestic, Coronation, R. F. Felton, Borothy,
Mrs. E. Cowdy, Wenvoe Castle, Barbara, W. R. Beaver,
and Suffragette.

The colours are not recorded here because they can
easily be found in any Sweet Pea catalogue.

CHAPTER XIV

A WORD OR TWO TO JUDGES

Before undertaking the onerous duties connected with
judging, be quite sure you have an intimate knowledge of
the varieties, so as to be able to discriminate between two
or more varieties that are nearly alike. Endeavour to see
if there are any of these mixed together in one vase ; then
judge the different vases on their merits, and do not be biassed
in favour of or against any particular variety. Sweet Peas of
good colour, form of flower, with fair length of stem, should
be placed before flowers that are coarse and of poor colour.
Crowding in the vases should be rigidly discouraged, for
where this occurs there are usually poor blooms that re-
quire hiding — possibly stems with only two flowers on each.
Where two or more collections are very nearly equal, pre-
ference should be given to an exhibit that contains the largest
number of distinct colours, as apart from different shades
of one colour. In cases where collections, for some cause
or another, have to be disqualified, do not hesitate to put on
the card why such a course has been adopted ; it will teach
the exhibitor what to avoid in the future.

"3 H

INDEX

Basic slag, 37

Birds, 72, 75

Bush varieties of Sweet Peas, 68

Clumps, planting in, 65
Concentrated fertilisers, 37

basic slag, 37

kainit, 37

nitrate of soda, 38

sulphate of ammonia, 38

sulphate of potash, 38

superphosphate of lime, 38
Culture, for exhibition, 89

for general purposes, 22
Cupid varieties, 68

Cutting back plants which have
flowered, 59

Decorations, Sweet Peas for, 66
Diseases. See Enemies and diseases

Early varieties, 6
Enemies and diseases, 70

birds, 72, 75

green fly, 76

mice, 71

mould, 78

slugs, 72

streak, 78

yellowing, 78
Exhibition culture, 89

a word to judges, 113

feeding, 108

mulching, 106

packing, no

planting, 10 1
in clumps, 102
in rows, loi

preparing and cutting the blooms,
preparing soil, 98
seed sowing, 90

indoors in autumn, 94

108

Exhibition culture (seed sowing) —
indoors in spring, 96
outdoors in autumn, 95
outdoors in spring, 98
setting up the flowers, III
shading, 108
staking, 105
thinning, 106
varieties, select, i r i
watering the plants, 108

Garden, Sweet Peas for the, 64
General culture, 22

essentials to success, 23
Glass, Sweet Peas under, 61
Green fly, 76
Groups, the three great, 1 1

old form, 11

Spencer form, 12

Unwin form, 17

History, 4

Bauhinus, Johannes, 5
Burmannis, Joannis, 5
Carter & Co., 6
Cattell, Mr., 7
Cole, Silas, 9
Cupani, the monk, 4
Dicks, S.B., 5
Eckford, Henry, 7
Hurst & Son, 7
Laxton, Thomas, 7
Mason, Mr., 6
Morrison, Robert, 5
Noble, Cooper & Bolton, 7
Ray, John, S
Sutton & Sons, 7
Sydenham, Robert, 9
Uvedale, Dr., 4

Introduction, i

Judges, A Word to, 113

"S

ii6

INDEX

Kainit, 37

Lathyrus, distoplatyphyllos, hirsulis,
mollis, magno et peramaeno, flore
odoratissimo, purpureo, 4
major e Siciliac, 5
Zeylanicus, 5
Library, In the, 86
Liquid manure, 56

Manuring, 34

basic slag, 37

concentrated fertilisers, 37

intelligence in application, 34

kainit, 37

light soil, 36

methods of, 35

natural manures, 34

night soil, 35

nitrate of soda, 38

strong soil, 35

sulphate of ammonia, 38

sulphate of potash, 38

superphosphate of lime, 38
Mice, 71
Mould, 78
Mulching, 59

Night soil, 35
Nitrate of soda, 38
Nitro-culture, 60

Paraffin wash, T7
Planting out, 51

Sebd sowing. 39
autumn, 40

birds, protection from, 43
chipping the seeds, 46
depth of sowing, 47
distances between lines, 49
distances in lines, 48
in drills, 47

in shallow trenches, 47
large versus small pots, 40
mice, protection from, 43

Seed sowing —

small, shrivelled seeds, 45

soil for, 45

split seeds, 46

spring-sowing. 43

white seeds, 45
Slugs, 72
Smooth form, II
Soil for, 24

depth, 24

digging, 24

heavy, 29

light, 31

preparation, -4

time of working, 29

trenching, 27
Spencer form, 12
Streak, 78

Sulphate of ammonia, 38
Sulphate of potash, 38
Superphosphate of lime, 38
Supporting the plants, 49

sticks, 50

tying, 50

wire, 50

Telemly varieties, 62
Tobacco water, T7

Under glass culture, 61
Unwin form, 17

Varieties, making, 19
amateurs' successes in, 20
fifty standard, 80
Mcndelian laws, 20
new colours wanted, 19
Telemly, 62
winter-flowering, 62

Watering and feeding, s;
Winter-flowering Sweet Peas, 62

Yellowing, disease known as, 78

9/1:

Printed by Ballantvnb, Hanson b' Co.
Edinburgh A* London

Date Due

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