September 28, 1912. 



741 



is certainly an acquisition, especially for 

 those who*^]ike delicate shades of P'Hour. 

 \metliyst (Sutton and Sons) I noted as 

 being a very good variety, and, though not 

 quite a self blue, it will, I think, prove a 

 useful addition to this section, as will also 

 the same firm's Southcote Blue, whi^h, if 

 somewhat smaller in tho flower, is a better 

 blue, and is very like a seedling of Mr. 

 Holmes' that I grew this year. 



Marks Tey (Dobbie and Co.), though not 

 a blue, has a certain amoiuit of this colour 

 in it, being almost a blue and bronzy-red 

 bicolor ; it is very pleasing in the bunch, 

 a giant in growth and in flower, and 

 should make a good exhibition variety. A 

 sweet pea that pleases nie very much, hoth 

 for garden decoration and exhibition pur- 

 poses, is Loyalty (G. Stark and Son), a blue 



choice heing in favour of Scarlet Emperor, 

 ibut 1 think it probable that Bobbie's Scar- 

 let will prove to be a little larger in the 

 flower, M hile Premier (G. Stark and Son) is 

 quite distinct in colour. As a decorative 

 variety True Lavender (Dobbie and Co.) 

 will no doubt take a prominent place, the 

 colour being exceptionally soft, while the 

 ^^anie firms selected stock of Lavender 

 George Herbert should provide us with our 

 best exhibition pea in that colour. R. F. 

 Feltou, one of Mr. Bolton's last season's 

 introductions, is a grand sweet pea, in fact, 

 one of the best for exhibition purposes, pro- 

 vided it is not disbudded too freely ; as 

 this is distinctly a rosy-lavender, 1 think 

 there is room for both of these fine varieties. 



Mrs. Cuthbertson (Dobbie and Co.), a 

 pink and white bicolor, well sustains the 



them to us in sunproof form. There are 

 signs that this is coming, as 1 hav^e seen 

 one or two seedlings that appear sunproof, 

 but a summer like 1911 might dispel all our 

 hopes. 



Inspector (Dobbie and Co.) gives a great 

 numher of double standard flowers, conse- 

 quently it appears very bright, and makes 

 a good bunch ; the colour is similar to that 

 of Karl Spencer. King Alfred (Breadmore) 

 is an exceptionally large orange-pink 

 variety, and might be descrihe<l as between 

 Anglian Pink and Anglian Orange in colour. 

 Lady Ciirzoii (Ureadmore) is a detMded im- 

 provemejit on Menie Christie, but it is more 

 of a bicolor than a self. Koso Diamond 

 (Aldersey and Jones) is a very bright pea, 

 very similar in colour to Inspector. Anglian 

 Fairy (E. W. King and Co.) is another of 



SWEET PEA BERTRAND DEAL, 



A beautiful variety, with large flowers of a rose-mauve colour, introduced by Mr. B. W. Deal, Kelvedon. 



flake, but of such colour in the bunch ^iiat 

 ^'^h worth growing, even in a small 

 collection. There are several varieties quite 

 ^^ar this, but just lacking in the shade of 

 t^olour that makes it so commendahle. 

 ^^gncola is one of Mr. Bolton s novelties 



] 



-National Sweet Pea Society this year^ 



a variety of large size, being white with 

 * flush of Ulac or pale violet, and for 

 ^nose who like these tinted peas it is the 

 variety to grow. Birdhrook (R. Bolton) 

 ^8 also a very fine sweet pea, and for term 

 Id size is probablv the best of the ye \r, 

 out a., if „ , • . chooolate 



^ a white ground), it mav not become so 

 popular a« some of tlie ^^elfVolours. 



here is not a great deal fresh to recort 



t,I!L?S the scarlets. 

 '"Hluctions have turned 



good opinion formed of it last season, and 

 fs easily the strongest grower and best 

 flower in its class, though, like R. F. Fel- 

 ton, it must not be overgrown. 



The variety Thomas Stevenson has been 

 seen in suoh form and in such qTiantity this 

 past season that it nee<ls no coinnient from 

 me except to sav that it will be interesting 

 to ' test the two stocks, Holmes' and 

 Dobbic's, to see which is actually the best 

 under general cultivation . Tliere seems to 

 be nothing to challenge this variety'.s po.si- 

 tion at the head of its colour class at pre- 

 sent though in the Earl Spencer seotion 

 there are several varieties that are said to 



alrea<ly in commerce. 



and Barbara 



pe 



described 



■ 



that variety, a shade of green bemg dis- 

 tinctly noticeable in it. ^ 



Coronation (R. Bolton) is a variety not 

 quite so well-known as Charles Foster, 

 Dorothy, and I'rince George, but it is never- 

 theless very well worth growing; it pleases 

 me even better than the two latter; the 

 colour is apricot, with a touch of rose or 



in it. 



J 



.... Eckford Spe.. ^ . 

 is even a little more subtle than in 



:1 



Most of last year's in- 



supersede those 



Molba (Dobbie nnd 

 (Holmes) are hot It <. ood flowers, and seem 

 likely to keep their position until some 

 clever cross-fertiliser of the sweet pea gives 



It is very pretty, and aft-er a 

 hours ill wat-er it makers an exception- 

 ally good hiuK'h. Annabella Lee (Alsen'J is 

 Similar to Dorothy, but. 



pinl 

 fi^M 



verv 

 here 



. as groAvnng 



it docs not shorten in the stem so 



quickly, and the flowers come rather J)e^ter 

 |:»aceii, the last-name<l " ^ 

 mi/»Vi in nairs and close 



