IRISH GARDENING 



Sweet Peas at the Shows. 



THE Metropolitan Show of the National 

 Sweet Pea Society, which is the great 

 event of the year to every lover of this 

 sweetest and most popular of all the annuals, 

 will have been held before the August number 

 of Irish Gardkning is ready for distribution, 

 but at too late a date (July 24th) to admit of a 

 satisfactory account being given in this number. 

 If rumour does 

 not belie herself 

 quite a host of 

 new varieties will 

 be submitted for 

 adjudication by 

 the judges and for 

 the admiration of 

 the enthusiasts 

 who will assemble 

 at Vincent Square 

 on that date. 



Ajigusioth'w'iW, 

 however, be the 

 " red letter" day 

 for Irish growers, 

 when the National 

 Sweet Pea So- 

 ciety will hold its 

 second great 

 show for this year 

 in conjunction 

 with the Royal 

 Horticultural 

 Society of Ireland 

 at its Autumn 

 Exhibition at the 

 Royal University 

 Buildings, Earls- 

 fort Terrace, 

 Dublin. 



We may confi- 

 dently expect that 

 all the principal 

 novelties of the 

 year will again be 

 on view, and we 

 shall doubtless 

 see in the exhibits 



A u (.1 1 e \ 



Cner. Flowei^- 



of our most enthusiastic Irish growers many ot 

 the exquisite varieties that were introduced and 

 distributed last year, such as Evelyn Hemus, 

 Constance Olliver, Sutton's " Queen," Saint 

 George, Princess Victoria, Etta Dyke, James 

 Grieve, The Marquis, Rosie Adarns, Audrey 

 Crier, &c. 



What are the points that we must look for in 

 estimating the excellence of the new or older 

 varieties ? First form, then size, substance, 

 purity of colouring and freshness, these are 

 all essential in blooms of exhibition quality ; 



the stems must be long and stout, carrying at 

 least three if not four blooms, so arranged on 

 the stem.s as not to overcrowd each other, nor 

 yet so far apart as to present a leggy appear- 

 ance, and, as nearly as possible, all facing in 

 the same direction. The differences in the 

 "form " of the blooms of the various varieties 

 are usually differences in the character of the 

 standard, from the upright and almost circular 

 standard of Bolton's Pink or Dorothy Eckford 



to the hooded 

 W formofMrs. 

 Walter Wright, 

 the waved stand- 

 ard of Countess 

 Spencer, and the 

 frilled form of 

 John Ingman, 

 when it is true. 



Next to the 

 "form" and size of 

 the blooms, sub- 

 stance and purity 

 of colour is the 

 great essential. 

 This is the great 

 charm of Dorothy 

 Eckford. In no 

 other white is 

 there such sub- 

 stance and purity 

 of colour. AH the 

 newer and waved 

 white varieties 

 are decidedly 

 transparent when 

 placed along- 

 side this older 

 and well-known 

 flower, which un- 

 doubtedly still 

 holds the premier 

 position in its 

 class. Next in im- 

 portance is fresh- 

 ness, absence of 

 spots and weather 

 waved rich bright pink. stains. All blooms 



o 6.VC.:: J'ccis."] having such im- 



perfections should be ruthlessly eliminated. Far 

 better a small bunch of perfectly fresh blooms, 

 well displayed, each one exhibiting its per- 

 fections to the discriminating judge, than a 

 fuller bunch in which are many faulty blooms. 

 "Quality not quantity " is the desideratum in 

 such cases. 



The most careful attention having been given 

 to the selection and displaying of the individual 

 blooms in the vases on the lines indicated 

 above, an exhibit may be ruined by carelessness 

 in colour arrano-ement. Though there are so 



