VOL. LV.— Xo. 3,039. 



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-H 



SATURDAY, JANUARY 27 1912. 



f t 



wen 



THE 



GARD 



NERS 



MAGAZINE 



, NOTE OF THE WEEK 



4^ 



sweet pea possesses one trait tliat is not 

 coninion to all classes of plants that aae 



the 



of their 



Cult of the Sweet Pea. 



With a full appreciation of the wondrous 

 »auty and the high degree of usefulness 

 — ^" the sweet nea in its great 



in 



ESp"^'^ssed by tne sweet pea 



diversity of colouring, it is impossible to 

 ird otherwise than with a strong sense 

 -;itisfaction the prospects of the Queen 

 Annual Flowers in the year on which 

 have recently entered. Certainly, in 

 year since the introduction of the flower 



1 « 



untry 



distinguishes! by the beauty 

 flowers, and this trait is their adaptability 

 to the gardens of all classes. That they 

 are highly desirable in the ducal garden 

 all will be prepared to admit, while for the 

 cottage garden^ however liniite<l may be 

 its dimensions, they aJre most appropriate^ 

 jnore especially as the seed of a selection 

 of the finest of those in general cultivation 

 can be obtained at a very small cost. Some 

 of the cultivators who have not at their 

 command a very large area available for 

 these flowers are complaining of the num- 

 ber of new varieties being too large. We 

 do not share in that opinion, and, with re- 



. has there been so great a promise of 



ignificent demonstration of its capabili- ...... ^ ... s.^....^.., «.,^, 



both for beautifying the garden and ference thereto w^ould point out that, while 



it may not be possible for any one grower 



to include any considerable number of 



- honours at the exhibitions. Twelve novelties among the varieties for which he 



'»th.s ago there was ample justification has room, it is most desirable that all which 



l^'ying an abundance of cut flowers for 

 adornment of the home and for obtain- 



RC 



■'nticipating a successful sweet pea year, 

 the exceptional heat and the long-con- 

 drought effectually prevented the 

 .^'■■.hsatiori of the anticipations that were 

 , ulgedin, :i. n 



.1 ^ 



ill;.- 



D 



V 



epting it may have been in 

 tevv districts that were especially 

 by the rainfall. We do not pr^ 

 1 to forecast the weather of the corn- 

 summer, but we do not believe that 

 ■^^eet peas wiU suffer to the same ex- 



,r 51' ^^11' if the cli- 



'c conditions should be much the same, 

 ^he result of the heavy rainfall during 



^•abt th.f'"!^ moisture, and it is not 

 ab^yhat the general body of cultiva- 



-n thev remarkable object- 



cultivation in mitigating the effects 



^^ft of the drought upon the 

 tlKl not in any way clu>ck 

 riowori^! ^"^'"g taken - in them 



■i«"ilati e ' ^3^. those who 



n- 



but 



turn 

 •^t^mulatefl 



of mind 



of 



the 



to 



are 

 that the 

 interest in the 



^ offer no opinion upon 



tha 



J. 



' ^-'th ol,1 :! / ^^'^^ the demand for seed 



^^"t whkh i r •'"'■'"^^^^ b«^« «o keen 

 t) '"'^"'"^^bV SlU^ tl^^re will be 



1''^ It is not ^f^^'*" .beauty and use- 

 J P' a Kro^pr^!!-!'^"^ t« the ranks of 



in 



> 1 J '-t 



. " '"'-^ issue iho'r. '^ntributors 



y those who att.ach much 



' " '.1 V ""^'el t V 



111 



4k 



of 1 

 general 



also an abun- 



qualitv 

 <^'Ultivation 



a mon g 



are distinct in colour and of high quality 

 should be placed at the disposal of the 

 general body of cultivatoTS. It shoujd be 

 remembered that new sweet peas, as in 

 the case of other novelties, do not always 

 fulfil their promise, and also that some 

 which are not particularly promising ]>os- 

 sess qualities that render them in some 

 respects superior to those of which a high 

 opinion was held when they first made their 

 appearance. It is certainly not desirable 

 there should be an excessive multiplication 

 of new varieties, and certainly not of those 

 which differ but little in colour from 

 others alread}^ in cultivation. As regards 

 colour distinctions, there are too many 

 varieties wanting in <listin('tnewss, as shown 

 by the list of to<vniucli-alike varieties pre- 

 pared by tlu^ National Sweet Pea Society. 

 But witli the <rirater facilities that now 

 exist for instituting c(>in]iarisons, we may 

 anticipate that there will l)e a material re- 

 duction in the numbers distributed that 

 present too strong a family likeness to those 

 already in comnier<'e. Cultivators have 

 good reason to be grat^'ful to the society 

 mentioned for the valuable service that has 

 been rendered in this particular^ but it is 

 doubtful whetlier this work has been fully 

 appreciated. In the interest of the cult 

 it is sati^sfactory to know that the society 

 has found it possible to arrange for two 

 distinct trials of varieties under wholly dif- 

 ferent climatic and soil conditions. ^ We 

 are gratified by this extension of the so- 

 ciety's work, because of the importance of 

 not only eliminating such as are inferior, 

 but of avoiding the possibility of a first- 

 class flower failing to obtain recognition 

 ownng to the local conditions being un- 

 favourable to its full development. With 

 reference to the exhibition side of the cult, 

 there is full justification for the belief that 



cash prizes offered by the various societies 

 will be even more keen than in past years, 

 Xo society specially identified with the 

 sweet pea has of late been established in 

 England, but a considerable proportion of 

 the local rose societies have included sweet 

 peas in their programme, and thereby ma- 

 terially enhanced the attractions of^their 

 exhibitions and improved their finanicial 

 position. Horticultural societies have 

 given additional encouragement to sweet 

 peas, and these now form so imi)ortant a 

 feature as to suggest the possibility that in 



ns of 



a tew years hence they will be the 

 excluding some classes of flowers that 

 should be adequately represented at ex- 

 hibitions of general societies. In Scotland 



common 



going strong," for several spec*ial socie- 

 ties have been formed quito recently^ and 

 the exhibition season was highly successful 

 last year. Although the drought was 

 severe in Scotland it 



not so injurious in 

 its effects as in England, and from the be- 

 ginning of July until September was well 

 advanced, there was an abundance of 

 flowers of exhibition quality. The great 

 objc^ct-lof^son that was afforded cultivators 

 in tlie suiiniK^r of 1911 on the importance of 

 <lcep cultivation as a means of averting the 

 effects of a severe drought received a full 

 share of attention from the general body of 

 cultivators. 



ing the depth to which the soil is usually 

 <*ultivat*Ml, aiul it may be assumed that 

 nianv oth^Ms will do so. All the su<'ccss- 



Some we know, are inc 



ful cultivators are careful to cultivate 

 deeply, and those who have hitherto fail 

 to obtain a high place on the prize li 

 wouUl improve their positions as pr 

 winn<M'> W(Tc they to follow their (Exam- 

 ple. D('( [) cultivation as, of course, equally 

 necessary whoi-e the flowers are ixrown 

 simply for beautifying the garden and 

 yielding supplies of cut flowers. Liberal 

 manuring is not less essential to success,, 

 but the excessive applications of manure- 

 that are frequently made are not only un~ 

 necessary, but undesirable, because of their 

 promoting an undue luxuriance of growth 

 and the development of coarseness, both 

 in the flowers and flower stems. The use 

 of large quantities of nitrogenous manures 

 should be avoided, for they not only pro- 

 mote coarseness, but represent waste as the 

 nitrifying organisms that locate them- 

 selves in the nodules on the roots will pro- 

 vide the plants with the greater part of 

 the nitrogen they require. On the other 

 hand, potassic fertilisers might be used 

 more freely in preparation of light soils 

 than is usually considered necessary. 



Sugar in Plant Leaves 



- In 



The the competition for the cups, medals, and studying the relationship between cano 



