September 7, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



315 



British Horticulture 



THE BEST SWEET PEAS 



The N'ational Sweet Pea Society has rendered a use- 

 ful service in pnlilishing a list of "too much alike" 

 varieties. With the remarkable multiplicity of new 

 sorts endlei^s confusion has been caused, whilst the 

 seedsmen's lists have reached to unwieldly proportions. 

 After a careful investigation and the conduct of ex- 

 haustive trials the Society's Floral committee recom- 

 mend the following kinds as the best in their respective 

 colors: \^niite, Dorothy Eckford and Nora TJnwin; 

 crimson and scarlet. King Edward and Queen Alex- 

 andra ; rose and carmine, John Ingmsn ; yellow and 

 buff, Mrs. Collier; blue. Lord Xelson and Romolo 

 Piazanni ; blush, Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes ; cerise, Coe- 

 cinea; pink. Countess Spencer; orange shades, Helen 

 Lewis and Henr\' Eckford i lavender. Lady Grisel Ham- 

 ilton and Frank Dolby; violet and purple, Duke of 

 Westminster; magenta, CTCorge Gordon and Captiva- 

 tion ; pieotee edged. Dainty ; fancy, Sybil Eckford ; 

 inauve, Mrs. Walter Wright; maroon and bronze, Black 

 Knight; striped and flaked (red and rose), Jessie Cuth- 

 bertson; striped and flaked (purple and blue), Sutton's 

 Marbled Blue ; bicolor, Jeannie Gordon ; marbled, Helen 

 Pierce. The following awards were made at the Read- 

 ng trials: Saint George (Messrs. Hurst & Son), sil- 

 ver medal and first-class certincate. This was regarded 

 13 the best novelty of the year. Helen Pierce (Henry 

 Eckford), first-class certificate; Princess Victoria 

 (Dobbie & Co.), Xora Unwin (Watkins & Simpson), 

 'jord Nelson (L House and Son), and Prince Olaf 

 'Dol)l)ie i^ Co.). awards of merit. 



NOTED SPECIALISTS 



Essex is a famous seed growing county, a large acre- 

 ige being devoted to this piirpose. H. Eckford, of 

 \^em, has now secured a seed farm in the Burnham dis- 

 riet. Messrs. Dobbie & Co., of Rothesay, have a very 

 xtensive seed farm at Marks Tey, near Colchester, un- 

 ler the direction of Mr. W. Cuthbertson. Here are 

 ultivated a comprehensive selection of sweet peas, in- 

 luding the latest novelties and some new varieties not 

 et in commerce. The latter comprise Princess Vic- 

 oria (There is an old variety of this name which 

 as now been entirely superseded) ; Prince Olaf, which 

 eceived an award of merit from the National Society, 

 blue striped variety: The Marquis, a waved mauve of 

 n attractive form ; Minnie Christie, a plum-colored 

 raved variety, with wings of a more brilliant tint; 

 lanna Dale, maroon, described as an improved Othello; 

 ^hite Spencer and Mrs. Ireland, waved bicolor. A 

 ariety which has attracted the attention of visitors to 

 larks Tey is St. George, the novelty being sent out by 



Messrs. Hurst & Co. of Houndsditch. This has re- 

 ceived the National Society's silver medal as the best 

 novelty of the year. It is of an attractive orange tint, 

 and is regarded as an improved form of Evelyn Byatt. 

 An award of merit was also received from the Royal 

 Horticultural Society at the Holland House show. 



A CANNA TRIAL 



This season a si^ecial feature of canna trials has been 

 made at Wisley at the Royal Horticultural Society's 

 gardens. About 200 varieties have been in cultivation. 

 Awards of merit have been granted to the following 

 by the Floral Committee: C. J. B. van der Schoot, a 

 clear yellow flower, with red splashings and spots; C. 

 Elizabeth Hoss, yellow, with bright red spotting and 

 green foliage ; C. Gladiator, described as the best spotted 

 variety in the collection; C. W. Saunders, rosy-crimson 

 with purple foliage; C. AVilliani Bofinger orange-scar- 

 let; C. Uncle Sam. Awards were also granted to sev- 

 eral varieties under numbers, ilost of the plants were 

 grown in pots measuring ten inches in diameter, and a 

 splendid growth had been made. The flowers were an 

 indication of the high standard which has been reached 

 in the cultivation owing to the special attention paid 

 them for years past by leading experts like Messrs. Can- 

 nell & Sons, of Swanley, Kent. This firm's brilliant 

 groups of cannas have added an acceptable blaze of 

 color at the leading shows, and have secured for them 

 many honors. 



THE NEW ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT 



From the large number of applicants for the post of 

 assistant superintendent at the Royal Horticultural 

 Society's gardens at Wisley, Arthur C. Smith has been 

 selected. Like many of the most successful gardeners, 

 Mr. Smith received his training in Scotland, where his 

 father was head gardener at Dorraont. On migrating 

 southward, ilr. Smith was in the service of Sir John 

 Ramsdcn at Eyram Park, Ferrybridge. He was next 

 engaged in the gardens at Brayton Hall, Cumberland, 

 the seat of the late Sir Wilfrid Lawson. Journeying 

 from north to "sunny Sussex" Mr. Smith secured an 

 appointment at Petworth Park, the picturesque seat of 

 Lord Leconfield. Subsequently he was employed at a 

 number of equally notable places. The new ofiicial has, 

 therefore, had a wide and varied experience, and he 

 enters on his new siDhere with an excellent record. The 

 new gardens at Wisley afford plenty of scope for a man 

 of Mr. Smith's attainments, and he will be associated 

 with Mr. S. T. Wright, the superintendent, who for 

 many years has rendered such valuable service to the 

 Society, first at Chiswick and latterly at the Society's 

 new Surrey home. 



J^'/' ddniXU. 



