August 29, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
167 
I am not a scientific botanist, so am unaware whether or 
not observers haye remarked the strange analogy between the 
Rata and the fungus of the vegetable caterpillar. 
The Rata is an epiphytal plant at the commencement of its 
life. The seed is blown about, and a single one may fall on 
2 great Matai, Totai, or other forest tree. The seedling ger- 
minates, grows, clings to, and at length envelopes the trunk. 
In the course of a century or two the Rata will be seen to have 
struck its roots into the ground, to have encased its “ mother,” 
whose choked and withered head will be seen mingling with 
the giant “child’s” branches. At length the original forest 
tree—it may be 100 up to 200 feet in height—will have rotted 
away, and now appears the Rata, a gigantic and stately usurper, 
at the same time probably one of the handsomest objects in 
the forest. This is more particularly the case in North Island. 
Thus the Rata is a vegetable killer, and at its foot is the 
fungus which is the animal killer, as your article has correctly 
stated —J. T, THoMson. 
PEAS IN 1878. 
THE Pea season of 1878 is very nearly over. Although a few 
may come in after August most of the main sorts have been 
Fig. 24.—Erica metuleflora bicolor (see page 170). 
gathered, and now that the matter is fresh before me I would 
like to say a few words on our Pea crop generally this year. 
I may state that we never had better Peas. They have been 
the admiration of all who entered the kitchen garden. Sang- 
ster’s No. 1 and Little Gem were sown on the 2nd of February. 
The first is a good old Pea just for one early sowing, but it 
stands no chance with others afterwards. I am beginning to 
think that none of the very dwarf sorts are worth growing. 
Certainly they do not take up much space, but the pods they 
yield are few. Nor do the dwarfs continue bearing for any length 
of time, while the kinds which grow about 6 feet begin bearing 
about a foot from the ground, and it is a long time before they 
finish-off at the points. We gathered fresh Green Peas from 
some of our tall sorts more than a month this season ; for that 
reason we prefer all varieties growing from 5 to 7 feet in 
height. But it is very seldom Peas come exactly to the 
figures placed against them in catalogues. In rich soil many 
of them grow 2 feet higher than they are said to do, while 
in poor soil they do not attain their normal height. But the 
worst thing that any person can do is to grow Peas in poor 
soil, as there the produce is light, the quality inferior, and 
the length of time of bearing very short. When the soil is 
not rich in which Peas are to be sown, a trench 18 inches 
deep and 2 feet wide should be taken out and the opening 
filled up with a mixture of half loam and half cow dung. 
Many rows of ours were prepared in this way this season, and 
it is the best plan we ever saw tried. 
We sowed the seed much thinner this year than we ever did 
previously, and this also answered very much better than the 
old way of laying the seed close in together. Many of the 
kinds we paid 3s. 6d.a pint for. The seeds of these were planted 
singly about 3 inches apart to make them give a succession of 
sowings, and the crop from these has been more abundant and 
the pods much finer than those sown closely. I may state, 
however, they were not planted in single rows 3 inches apart, 
but in three rows the width of the spade in this form: .:.:.: 
From one pint of Culverwell’s Telegraph planted in this way 
the produce was so great that we gathered from four to five 
bushels of pods, and now we haye saved about six quarts of 
seed. Carter’s Challenger treated in the same way was just 
about as fine. We have grown this year over two dozen of the 
best sorts known, and placed Culverwell’s Telegraph first on the 
list. The pods are produced in great abundance, they fill 
rapidly, and become very large in size, and the peas are superb 
in flavour. Every person who saw it in the kitchen garden 
here, and who grows Peas, took its name down to have it next 
year. This is referring to its qualities as an early and mid- 
season Pea. Next season when I shall have plenty of seed I 
will try what it will come to very late. Carter's Challenger is 
an excellent new Pea. It does not grow so high, nor are the 
pods so large as Telegraph, but they are even more nume- 
rous, and they fill as well, and the peas are equally good in 
flayour. Carter’s Little Gem has not proved equal to our ex- 
pectations. The pods did not fill evenly and they were very 
scarce. It bears a resemblance in some respects to Dr. Maclean 
and this has not secured a place with us for another year. 
G. F. Wilson is another not quite good enough for us. Veitch’s 
New Criterion is decidedly worth trying. It has come quite 
up to the representations of it as a midseason Pea, and it 
promises well for late. The flavour is very fine and the pods 
fillwell, Laxton’s Fillbasket Pea resembles Carter’s Challenger 
very much, but it is inferior to it in every respect. Laxton’s 
Superlative has filled well and produced pods of unusual size, 
but this is the best of it, as the flavour is very inferior. Dick- 
son’s First and Best and Dickson’s Favourite haye done well 
this season as they always do. Hundredfold is another we 
never think of avoiding. Veitch’s Perfection and Champion 
of England do not stand quite so high in my estimation as in 
some people’s. Ne Plus Ultra is a valuable late sort. Wilson’s 
Vanguard is a moderately good Pea, and it comes in earlier by 
two weeks than Sutton’s Duke of Edinburgh and Sutton’s 
Duchess of Edinburgh—two promising Peas, but from the few 
we grew of them this year we cannot give a definite opinion of 
their merits for general purposes. Some of the others we have 
grown do not call for special mention here. 
All the varieties were grown together and treated in the 
same way. Those which grow above 6 feet are benefited by 
having their points nipped out at that height. Those so treated 
podded to the very top, and a few we left to see what height 
they would attain ascended about 10 feet and doubled over 
at the top of the stakes downwards. Of course the greater 
part of the crop was lost; besides, the pods did not fill either 
well or so quickly as where the haulm was stopped. 
As a rule Peas are ready for gathering sixteen weeks after 
sowing ; and although I have the length of time marked down 
which it took all our different kinds to come in, it would serve 
no useful purpose to publish the notes, as it is well known 
Peas vary in their time of coming-in in different places and 
according to circumstances.—A KITCHEN GARDENER. 
A FRUITFUL ORCHARD HOUSE—WOODSTOCK 
KIDNEY POTATO. 
I HAVE rarely if ever seen so good an example of an orchard 
house as one I saw the other day at Sutherlands, the residence 
of Mr. Martin J. Sutton, at Whitley near Reading. It isnearly 
300 feet in length, a lean-to, about 6 or 8 feet wide. There is 
a double row of trees, one on the wall and the other on a low 
trellis in front, with a narrow walk between, and on the top 
bar of the trellis Tea Roses are trained: thus every bit of 
space is utilised. There was a splendid crop of Peaches, Nec- 
tarines, and Plums, all evenly set, well coloured, and ripening 
well. I have seen a good many orchard houses, but never one 
