March 13, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDLTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



217 



SELECTION OF PEAS. 



AM much interested witli the tiial of Peas, 

 as published in " The Gardeners' Year- 

 Book." Allow me to express thanks for so 

 valuable a trial being brought before the 

 gardening world. 



I wish the varieties had been reduced to 

 ahout a dozen, and divided into tliree sec- 

 tions — say first, second, and late sorts. I 

 think the trade would have more readily 

 copied the decision. My meaning is, that if 

 a short list of the best varieties were published I think 

 the trade and the public would copy the list. That would 

 be, perhaps, the way to reduce the so-called varieties. 



I am sui-prised that Paradise Slarrow is not more 

 grown ; it would be a first-class Pea for market gardeners, 

 as it comes in at one time, and the ground would be 

 ready for other crops. 



I made the trial of eighty-one varieties last year, and 

 the following hst may be of interest to those who like 

 kinds that bear a second crop about three weeks after the 

 first is gathered : — British Queen, Carter's Leviathan, 

 Huntingdonian, Imperial Wonder, .Jersey Hero, King of 

 the Man-ows, Laston's Supreme, Prizetaker, Ne Plus 

 Ultra, Laxton's Prolific Longpod, Laxton's Quality, 

 Laxtou's Evergreen, Premier, Mimstead MaiTow, Vic- 

 toria Marrow, and Sutton's No. 1 AVrinkled Man-ow. — 

 K. H. D., Sealiam. 



FEBTILISING CYCLAMEN ELQ-WEES. 



I HAD some thoughts of sending you a few notes on my 

 •way of setting the flowers of Cyclamen persicum, and 

 should have confined myself to these, had I not seen 

 Mr. Fiobson's question (page 179), as to whether others 

 were troubled with a large white grub. Last year at 

 this time I had a most beautiful lot of plants which 

 bloomed from Christmas tiU May in a most satisfactory 

 manner, many of the plants having fi'om thirty to forty 

 open flowers at a time for weeks together. This year I 

 have no bloom, and half the plants are dying. 



My treatment of Cyclamens from seed is similar to 

 Mr. Robson's. The older plants after blooming I place in 

 a vinery till about .July, when they are set on the floor 

 of a late Peach house, and receive but httle water tiU 

 early in September ; they are then taken to a greenhouse, 

 and have regular waterings as required. Last year they 

 looked promising, and were bristling with buds till 

 October, when some of the plants began to flag and look 

 yellow. On taking hold of the corms they were loose, 

 and the roots eaten through, though the pots were full 

 of healthy roots, and the grubs (then small) were eating 

 into the corm. In some pots I found as many as ten 

 grubs, in others less. Prom that time I persevered in 

 trying if the corms were fast to the soil, and I had weekly 

 to take some of the plants to the potting.bench. In 

 November I took some of those that looked sti-ongest to 

 the forcing-pit, but that only hastened their failiu-e. So 



No. 624.— Vol. XXTV., New Seeies. 



in January I detei-mined to risk all bloom, and try to 

 save the conns, so I shook the lot out, and I do not think 

 I found tliree of them without grubs, '^■hen I had 

 finished I counted in the flower saucer into v.'hich I had 

 put them, seventy-nine grubs, these I tlu-ew into the fire. 

 One-half of the plants wiU die, and the others are 

 worthless. 



I think Mr. Eohson's plan of turning the plants out 

 of the pots, or at least repotting them in autumn, will 

 be the best safeguard, as then, though the gi'ubs will be 

 young, they may be seen and picked out. My plants 

 were not disturbed in any way at that time, as I think 

 they do not bloom so well as when the pots are quite 

 full of roots, an occasional dose of Hquid manure being 

 afforded. 



I never could succeed in setting more than an occa- 

 sional bloom by the ordinary method of fertflising flowers ; 

 but last year, having noticed how readily the pollen feU 

 from the flowers on a fine day, I took the stalk of a flower 

 low down between the finger and thumb of the right hand, 

 tapped the front of the side of the flower against the left- 

 hand thumb-nail, and soon had tliis covered with the 

 white and yellow pollen. It was then only necessary to 

 take the flowers and dip the stigma of each in the pollen, 

 selecting an occasional flower from which to get more 

 poUen. The hybridist has in this way facilities of cross- 

 ing for the colours he wants by carrying pollen from dark 

 flowers on his thumb-nail, fi'om spotted ones on the first 

 finger, and so on ; and two small labels in the pot will 

 tell, if he desires it, the colour of the fcrtflised flower and 

 that of the poUen-plant's flower. At the time of gather- 

 ing the seed I went over the flowers every few days, and 

 the proportion of seed-pods was veiy satisfactory. — 

 EiCHARD Casson, Aslifield Garden. 



CULTUEAL NOTES ON PLANTS EXHIBITED 



AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. 

 The subjects most worthy of extended notice at the 

 Meeting of March 5th were Camellias, Cyclamens, and 

 Eoses. Of the first-named there was an excellent dis- 

 play. Mr. "W. Paul's collection was very beautiful indeed. 

 The plants were well fm'nished with healthy foUage and 

 large finely-developed flowers, which showed that the 

 treatment they receive is of the right kind. The potting 

 material recommended by Mr. Paul is sandy loam three 

 parts, one part fibrous peat, and leaf mould in equal pro- 

 portions, and to this compost he adds " a few small lumps 

 of charcoal and a few pieces of crushed bones." It was 

 pleasant to see such an excellent exliibition of this grand 

 winter flower, as with me the blooms are very late this 

 year ; they are just now coming in, and the reason of this 

 is evident : last season was a very unfavourable one for 

 maturing the wood, and I did not place any of the plants 

 in heat, but kept them throughout the season in a ccol 

 gi-eenhouse. Now, in order to have early flowers the 

 plants must be placed in a warm moist atmosphere as 

 soon as the flowers are removed, so that the plants may 

 j make their young wood, and mature it early. They may 



No.1276.— V0L.XLIX. Ou) Sebtes. 



