160 



HORTI CULTU RE 



February 10, 1906 



fine blooms as when the soil keeps moist and the at- 

 mosphere cool. Neither does their flowering season 

 last so long. 



There are now some very beautiful varieties on the 

 market, and they are being added to annually. There 

 are singles, doubles, crested, fringed, picotee-edged and 

 even other sorts ; some of the newest of the double ones 

 are as perfect in contour and as delicate in coloring as 

 the loveliest tea rose, the most elegant camelia, or the 

 purest nymphsea. The hybridist has achieved wonders 

 among these flowers. Not only has he added grace and 

 elegance and greater variety of coloring to the blooms, 

 but he has made the plants more floriferous, the flower 

 stalks larger and stronger, and the blossoms to be borne 

 erect. The latter is an important point ; the flowers 

 of the older sorts hung their heads on weak stems and 

 so half their beauty was lost. 



The varieties shown in the accompanying colored 

 supplement are Mrs. Moger (salmon) ; Countess of 

 Warwick (yellow and orange) ; and the Eight Hon. J. 

 Chamberlain (crimson). They were raised and sent 

 out by Messrs. Blackmore and Langdon, Twerton Hill 

 Nursery, Bath, where, as in the nurseries of other 

 firms in this country, one may see in summer time a 

 brilliant carpet of these showy flowers covering a large 

 area of ground. An English begonia farm, when in 

 the height of its beauty, rivals even the famous bulb 

 fields in Holland. Even from seed sown in January 

 you can get good flowering plants the first year; in 

 fact it is the plants less than one year old that make 

 such a gorgeous display in the nurseries. They are 

 raised from seed sown in January, and are eventually 

 planted out in early summer. Any rogues there may 

 be among them are weeded out during the summer 

 months, and finally when the frosts have put an end 

 to their flowering period, which may be said to extend 

 from July to October, the bulbs arc 1 harvested, ready 

 for sale the following spring. 



The tuberous begonia as we know it today, repre- 

 sented by varieties that range through innumerable 

 and indefinable shades of color, owes its origin to the 

 inter-crossing at different times of no less than five 

 species: (1) Begonia boliviensis, with small, droop- 

 ing, bright red flowers, which was introduced in 186-4 

 from Bolivia; (2) Begonia Pearcei, also found in Bo- 

 livia and sent to England in 1865; it was from this 

 species that the yellow flowered forms were first ob- 

 tained; (3) Begonia rosseflora, introduced in 1867 from 

 Peru, which has round, pale red flowers; (4) Begonia 

 Veitchi, also found in Peru and introduced in 1867; 

 the roundish flowers of present day varieties owe a 

 good deal to this species; (5) Begonia Davisii, of dwarf 

 habit and with scarlet blooms, found in Peru and sent 

 over here in 1876. All these species were found by 

 collectors sent out by Messrs. Veitch and Sons, Ltd., 

 by whom they were put into commerce. The first white 

 variety was raised by continual selection from the 

 palest forms of Begonia rosseflora. 



British Horticulture 



A NEW TOMATO 



The Eev. G. T. Laycock, a horticultural enthusiast, 

 of Tenwick, Hants, has brought out a new tomato, 

 named after himself. Last season it was grown by two 

 other farmers besides himself, including one at (ium- 

 sey. The latter out of 200 seeds raised 194 plants 

 which were tried in pots. These were found excellent 

 croppers. The fruit is of perfect shape, also of a good 

 color when ripe. This grower had 3000 plants ready 

 to plant out in the second week in January. Further 

 experiments are to be made with the variety. Amongst 

 those who have secured seed is Byron D. Halstead, pro- 

 fessor of botany and horticulture at the New Jersey 

 State Agricultural College, who had received a good 

 opinion as to the tomato from Prof. W. W. Tracy of 

 the United States Department of Agriculture. The 

 variety is likely to become popular for market purposes. 



THE CULT OF THE SWEET PEA • 



The National Sweet Pea Society have just published 

 a very attractive annual, full of useful information and 

 appropriate illustrations. Amongst the latter is an ex- 

 cellent picture of Messrs. W. Atlee Burpee & Co.'s sweet 

 peas at the Lewis and Clarke Exposition, Portland, 

 Oregon. In another reproduced photograph Mr. Burpee 

 is seen amongst a wide expanse of sweet peas, chatting 

 with the late veteran raiser, Mr. Henry Eekford. A 

 third picture, taken when Mr. Burpee visited Europe 

 last summer, shows the American expert in a sweet pea 

 garden with Mr. Alfred Watkins, the president of the 

 society, and Mr. Robert Sydenham, of Birmingham, 

 one of the vice-presidents. The audit of the last show, 

 published in the book, indicates the increasing popular- 

 ity of sweet peas in this country. The total varieties 

 shown were 119. It is announced that the society will 

 hold a show in London on July 5th, and one at Ulvers- 

 ton, in Lancashire, on July 20th. Among the prizes is 

 a 50 guinea cup, offered by Mr. Henry Eekford, of 

 Wem, as a memorial to his late revered father. 



THE WINTER FLOWEIilXG CARNATION SHOW 



I learn from Mr. Hayward Mathias, the prime mover 

 in the matter, that satisfactory progress is being made 

 with the arrangements for holding the first show of 

 winter-flowering carnations at the Royal Horticultural 

 Hall, on Feb. 13th. The National Carnation and 

 Picotee Society were asked to organize a show of this 

 character, but they were unable to take the additional 

 responsibility. It is also intended to hold a meeting, 

 at which a proposal will be made for forming a winter- 

 flowering carnation society. "I think it very essential 

 that we should have a society of this kind," Mr. 

 Mathias informed me, "seeing how increasingly popular 

 the American varieties are becoming in this country." 

 One of the matters which it is necessary should lie taken 

 up by the society, when formed, is the registration of 

 the new varieties to prevent over-lapping. Mr. Mathias 

 favors the adoption of the plan which has been in 

 vogue with the American Carnation Society to secure 

 a proper registration as each new sort is brought out. 

 There have been cases where an American variety has 

 been brought over and sold in this country under a 

 new title, and this has caused confusion and annoyance 

 in trade circles. 



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