SEPTEMBER 



IRISH GARDENING. 



39 



anyway," as an exhibitor said, " except that they don't 

 show spots and weather stains ; any one can show a 

 striped." Still there was a very beautiful bunch of 

 Prince Olaf shown in the single variety class which 

 did not obtain the prize it merited, as there were no 

 prizes offered for striped varieties. Audrey Crier, 

 salmon pink, is a most beautiful flower when it comes 

 true, and there was a magnificent bunch of it in Mr. 

 Cowdy's cup exhibit. Constance Oliver and Mrs. C. 

 W. Breadmore in their classes were very fine, as were 

 also Elsie Herbert, Evelyn Hemus, and Frank Dolby ; 

 but the most striking- and outstanding varieties in the 

 show were " Earl Spencer," an immense and vigorous 

 flower of the same colour 

 as Henry Eckford, but 

 better in every way and 

 waved, shown by Miss 

 Osborne, and " Edna Un- 

 wiii," an orange scarlet 

 of great substance and 

 brilliancy of colouring, sent 

 out by Unwin last year, 

 and shown by Mr. Cowdy 

 in magnificent form ; these 

 two varieties stood out 

 above all the others, and 

 were the great centres of 

 attraction. Of the whites 

 ' ■ Etta Dyke " was the most 

 popular, though it has not 

 the substance or purity of 

 Dorothy Eckford. but 

 waved varieties are in the 

 ascendant, "Snowflake" 

 was shown in splendid form 

 in the cup winner's nine, 

 and promises to oust Etta 

 Dyke from premier position 

 in the white section. Frank 

 Dolby was the best of the 

 lavenders, "The King" 

 best of the crimsons, though 

 perhaps a little too much 

 waved. Most of the prizes 

 were captured by Northern 

 growers, possibly because 

 their season is a little later ; 

 still they have the knack of doing things in a very 

 thorough fashion. Nothing can WMthstand the en- 

 thusiasm and thoroughness of Mr. Cowdy, Lough- 

 gall, who seems to win wherever he exhibits. He 

 won the Nutting Cup with a matchless nine, huge in 

 size, which some consider coarseness, but beauti- 

 fully fresh and clean, great depth of colour and length 

 of stem. He pinches each alternate plant when 

 quite young, and then when the unpinched plant has 

 thrown its first crop of early blooms it is cut back 

 ruthlessly to make room for the pinched plant which is 

 coming along. The "cut back " is then fed generously 

 to promote new growth, and so a succession of 

 exhibition blooms is obtained. Lady Dunleath was a 



MVRTLS LfMA (feVNO-WM ElGENI.\ EPlC'fLATA). 

 (For description see p. I40.) 



of rain on the Monday, and dried them artificially by an 

 electric fan and heated air. What will not sweet pea 

 enthusiasts do to excel ? This operation must have 

 been very cautiously carried out ; but be it as it may, 

 his blooms were remarkable for their freshness and 

 spotlessness. He brings them all the way standing in 

 water, having very ingeniously constructed boxes of his 

 own design which hold the vases in position. Of course 

 he keeps a sharp watch on the railway porters, so that 

 the boxes themselves may not be upset. The first 

 prize for twelve bunches was won by Miss Osborne of 

 Drogheda with spotless blooms, richly coloured, and 

 of good size. They were simply exquisite, and con- 

 sidered by some much more 

 elegant and chaste than 

 the Loughgall blooms. 

 They were also beautifully 

 set up, Miss Osborne spend- 

 ing two hours in arranging 

 these bunches. The second 

 prize was taken by Dr. 

 O'Donel Browne with larger 

 blooms, but not so fresh 

 or clean. Miss Osborne 

 won also several prizes in 

 the classes for single varie- 

 ties. She grows her sweet 

 peas herself, and knows 

 every plant. There is only 

 one royal road to success 

 in growing sweet peas, and 

 it is the road of experi- 

 ence, watchfulness, and 

 enthusiasm. Almost each 

 variety requires different 

 treatment. The character 

 and depth of the soil must 

 be taken into considera- 

 tion, climatic conditions 

 demand differences of cul- 

 ture ; in fact, exhibitors 

 maintain that every plant 

 requires watching, and that 

 it is a great mistake to 

 stimulate plants that are 

 growing well at the same 

 time and with the same tonic 

 as those plants that are flagging. Experience alone 

 can teach what is necessary, and this can be acquired 

 only by watchfulness and brain work. One may 

 ask is the game worth the candle. Undoubtedly it 

 is. What is worth doing at all is worth doing well. 

 The magnificent blooms exhibited could never have 

 been produced but for the rivalrjand tireless endeavour 

 of enthusiasts. 



" It is the deciduous trees and shrubs which announce 

 the arrival of autumn. Green leaves take on a colouring 

 of yellow, brown, or red, more pronounced than the 

 yellows and reds of spring. As the %vind blows a few 



close second in both these classes, having very large of the ripest leaves fall, and one becomes conscious of 

 blooms, but they showed a great many weather stains. a feeling of evening, of the end of a play, or of the end 

 It IS said that Mr. Cowdy gathered his blooms in torrents of a beautiful poem." — Harry Roberts. 



