TRIALS AND TROUBLES 83 



Silver Wings is sold out. Countess Spencer, Audrey Crier, John 

 Ingman, and Helen Lewis are all likely to " sport," so grow as many 

 as possible of these ; probably one or two of the novelties you have 

 may also be sportive. You must shade Henry Eckford, Helen 

 Lewis, Lord Nelson, and possibly St. George from strong sun- 

 shine. 



Exhibition Sweet Peas in Clumps. Your plan of growing 

 in clumps with nine plants round the outside and one plant in the 

 centre of each clump is not good ; the plant in the centre would be 

 quite useless and would be smothered by the others. What I pro- 

 pose will entirely alter the arrangement of your plot, but it will give 

 far more satisfactory results. Limit the clumps to five plants each 

 and keep them all at the outside of the circle. For this system you 

 will require to allow about 2 feet diameter for each clump, which 

 will keep the plants a good foot apart. Allow 18 inches between 

 the margins of the clumps in the rows,' and from 3 to 4 feet between 

 the rows of clumps. Use the superphosphate by all means ; it is 

 the standard artificial for Sweet Peas, and you certainly need not 

 fear it will cause finger and toe disease, as this never attacks Sweet 

 Peas. With regard to vases, they should all be of uniform size and 

 as plain as possible. At the N.S.P.S. show vases are provided at a 

 charge of Id. each. 



Sweet Peas for the Garden. Your list is very good on the 

 whole, but for a garden primrose I would take James Grieve in 

 preference to Primrose Spencer, in spite of the fact that the latter 

 is, or is supposed to be, waved. The Marquis is not far off Mrs. 

 Walter Wright in colour, but A. J. Cook, which is waved in the 

 Gladys Unwin degree, is newer still, and is a very beautiful and 

 valuable variety, which you ought to include. Try to find room also 

 for Mrs. Henry Bell, Constance Oliver, and Evelyn Hemus. They 

 are lovely varieties. Frank Dolby .has very little waving, and I 

 cannot agree that it should be reckoned a waved sort, in spite of the 

 fact that it is sometimes described as such. Compare it for form 

 with Countess Spencer, the typical waved variety, and with a 

 recognised plain sort like Mrs. Walter Wright, and you will see ney 

 point. 



