Apkil 27, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE 



347 



a 



and in recent years, and it is felt 

 ffould be welcomed and well patronised, 

 notion was heartily agreed to. 



show 

 The 



Croydon Gardeners' Society. 



The culture of sweet peas for exhibition 

 svas the eubject of a paper read before the 

 members of the Croydon and District Society 

 it the Sunflower Temperance Hotel on the 

 I6th inst. Such a popular subject accounted 

 for the hig attendance of members, an-d 

 many were anxious to hear from Mr. Thos. 

 Stevenson, Woburn Place Gardens, Addle- 

 stone his methods of producing the magnifi- 

 cent blooms, for which he is world famous. 

 Although sweet peas may be grown in any 

 ^ood soil, that of elightly heavy nature will 

 produce the best blooms. 



To prepare the soil was Mr. Stevenson's 

 first advice, and this operation must be done 

 in the winter months by trenching the 

 ground three spits deep, and where rows are 

 wanted the trench should be opened 5ft. to 

 3ft. in width. Where ground lays cold the 

 subsoil should be left at the bottom and in- 

 corporated with this fresh cow manure and 

 leaf-soil. The advantage of this will be found 

 in hot, dry summers, such as that experi- 

 enced last year. Leave the surface in a 

 rough state for the weather to pulverise dur- 

 ing the winter; then before the plants are 

 put out it can be broken down into a friable 

 state with a fork. A. little bone meal and 

 superphosphate may be added with benefi- 

 cial results to the plants, 



Tlie autumn sown seeds will be found to do 

 the best, and, in Mr. Stevenson's experience, 

 he has found these plants almost immune 

 from disease, especially the dreaded streak 

 disease. Seed should be sown in 48's pots, 

 although smaller sizes may be used, or even 

 boxes, using a good open soil for them ; place 

 in a cold frame and keep closed until they 

 have germinated. Then give air on all 

 favourable occasions, even a little in the 



middle of the day when snow or frost pre- 

 vails. The pots containing the seedlings 

 should be placed in spent ashes up to the 

 brim; this method will conserve moisture to 

 a marked degree. When frames are closed, 

 and in severe weather, a mat thrown over 

 them will keep out the frost. Avoid cod- 

 dling them as much a^ possible to get a 

 strong growth in the plants. 



If sowing in spring is resorted to, the best 

 time is in the first week of February. The 

 plants may be raised in a cool greenhouse on 

 a top shelf near the glass, or on a slight hot- 

 bed ; the idea at all times is to keep them 

 steadily growing into sturdy plants. About 

 the middle of March, if the weather is suit- 

 able, they should be planted in the open 

 ground after well Hardening off, and a fine 

 tilth of soil for their reception must be ob- 

 tained. The seedlings are best shaken free 

 of all soil, and a hole deep enough to allow 

 the long tap root to be straightened out 

 should be made. Plant with care to avoid 

 bruising the roots as much as possible. In 

 staking, birch or beech boughs placed near 

 them will give the young plants support for 

 their tendrils. Straight canes may be used 

 for exhibition flowers, but only two or three 

 growths may be left, and these tied up lojsely 

 with raffia. Good bushy sticks may be used 

 where flowers for ordinary decoration are re- 

 quired, and these placed at a fairly good 

 space from the plant, and slightly bending 

 forward at the top. Train the plants on the 

 outside of the sticks to allow them to obtain 

 as much air as possible. 



The hoe should be kept in uss along the 

 sides of the rows at least once a week to 

 aerate the surface soil. When the first 

 flowers are out a mulch of decayed manure 

 or leaf-soil should be put along the sides of 

 each row or around clumps where they are 

 grown in this form, and, in Mr. Stevenson's 

 opinion, watering is not necessary until after 

 thfe mulch is put on. Artifcial manures, 

 such as a special sweet pea manure, or a 

 little nitrate of potash, nitrate of soda, or 



sulphate of ammonia, may be used, but ad- 

 minister these sparingly. 



Greenfly and thrips must be kept down by 

 using a safe insecticide, and as a precaution 

 against streak the plants should be syringed 

 at intervals with a solution of sulphide of 

 potassium, using hoz. to one gallon of water, 

 or permanganate of potash will act in the 

 same way. Where exhibition blooms are re- 

 quired, remove all flowers excepting those 

 showing colour a few days nrior to the show. 

 TJie stems should be cut several hours pre- 

 vious to staging them, and placed in water 

 at once; they will expand considerably after 

 being cut, providing they are not in too 

 younff a state before severing from the plant. 

 Staging for exhibition was a point in Mr. 

 Stevenson's remarks greatly emphasised. 



With such a popular subject there was 

 plenty of discussion at the end of Mr. Steven- 

 son's discourse, and he supplemented his re- 

 marks considerably when replying to ques- 

 tions put to him. 



GARDENING ENGAGEMENTS. 



Mr. H. J. ><alloway, for the past four years 

 foreman in Closes Hall Gardens, Gisburn, 

 Yorks, and previously foreman at Button 

 Park, Cheshire, has been appointed gardener 

 to the Couiitms of Cardigan. Deene Park, 

 Wansford, Northants. 



Mr. H. Dove, oT Cranmere, .Mit<"liani, has 

 been appointed gardener to Mrs. Druce 

 Thornhill. Sevenoaks, Kent. 



Cotoneaster 



m 



For 



clothing steep bank-s this Chinese cotoneaster 

 is one of the most useful of the genus. It is 

 of a strictly procumbent habit, has neat, 

 roundish, evergreen leaves of a daik green 

 tint, while the berries are deep srarlet in 

 colour. Of rapid growth, \\ut> cotoneaster 

 will, under favourable conditions, soon cover 

 a considerable space. — S.W. 



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