742 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



September 28, 1912. 



The dark varieties are augmented each 

 season, and the three most noticeable novel- 

 ties are Brunette (Debbie and Co.), a deep 

 mahogany self, and very distinct ; King 

 Manoel (G. Stark and Son), a very deep 

 maroon of large size; and Mrs. Cowdy (R. 

 Bolton), best described as an improved 

 Black Knight Spencer. Either of these 

 three should prove a welcome addition to 

 any collection. 



There are a great many more varieties 

 listed, but it is much safer to speak of 

 those seen^ and safer still to speak of those 

 actually grown, and if I seem to have spe- 

 cially lauded any of the foregoing varieties 



■od 



the 



those 



should 



are 



the 

 soil 



of 



at 



well-rotted 



SOWING SWEET PEAS* 



The time has now arrived for preparing to 

 sow sweet peas, for it is now generally ac- 

 knowledged that autumn sow^ings are best. 

 Two different methods are practised, one 

 is to sow the seeds in the open in the posi- 

 tions they are to occupy during the forth- 

 coming summer, and the other is the more 

 modern system of sowing the seeds in pots. 



Sowing in the Open. 



Generally speaking, sweet peas will with- 

 stand any amount of frost, and perhaps no 

 better test was ever provided than that for slugs, 



autumn, 

 who still 



and 



but 



method 



never practise it, 

 believe in this 

 prepare the quarters the plants 

 to occupy at once^ deeply digging 

 site and incorporating with the 

 the time of 



trenching 

 farmyard 



plenty 

 manure. If 



the peas are to be grown in clumps or rows 

 a day should be chosen for sowing when the 

 soil is dry, and works well. Before sowing 

 the seeds should be soaked in paraffin oil 

 for four hours, as this prevents the mice 

 eating them. When the plants appear 

 above ground, a strict look-out must be kept 



w^hich are fond of the young 



It IS o«-Hu«e nuve ..^u^ uuu whicli obtained during the early .pring of shoots, and will soon clear them off ; a good 



n front TthosJtl a^^ I have heen growing the present year. A field of sweet peas was dusting of slaked lime and soat i. a preyen- 



in rioi'T^.w tnose xnaz a navt oeeii ^ 1 p,^. . •„ ,„:i „nd owing t ve, but the best cure is to catch the slu«s 



them with for comparison, that they de- sown last October, m light soil, and o^^mg ^ acetylene cyde 



lamp and destroy them. When the planU 

 are well up they should be destroyed with 

 bushy twigs. Black cotton wound round the 

 twigs will keep off the birds. I would ad- 

 vise those who intend sowing sweet peas 



SWEET PEA AGEICOLA. 



A distinct variety, suffused lilac on a white ground, introduced by Mr. E. Bolton, 



War ton. 



serve it, and I certainly think that the fore- 

 going list comprises the best of the varieties 

 seen during the season of 1912. 



Thomas Stevenson. 

 Woburn Place Gardens 



French Beans. — ^Where warm pits can 

 be spared a g^ood sowing of beans should be 

 ade to carry on a continuous supply of this 

 most de.sirable veg-etable. Where early mar- 

 rows, melons, and cucumbers were previously 

 grown, little else will be required beyond 

 levelling the beds, and making them quite 

 firm for the seeds. Sow the seeds in lines 

 eighteen, inches apart. If from any cause the 

 pits are not yet available, sow the seeds in 

 boxes, and plant out when ready. Sutton s 

 Plentiful and Superlative are two excellent 

 varieties for this mode of culture.— G. E. 



to the fine open autumn the plants grew 

 quickly, and soon reached a height of four 

 inches. During the spring the weather was 

 very severe, and just over the hedge ad- 

 joining this field 33 degrees of frost were 

 registered. The plants, on the whole, with- 

 stood this severe test ivell, not more than 

 5 per cent, of them failing. The varieties 

 differed, however, in their constitution, 

 some of the lighter colours, especially the 

 salmons, were cut badly, while the blues and 

 maroons did not suffer in the least. One 

 well-known grower, who always practises 

 autumn sowing outside in the open ground 

 informed me he had suffered severely from 

 frost last springy and had lost numbers of 

 plants owing to their being too forward. 

 I do not recommend outdoor sowing in 



cially 



outside to choose a warm spot, and espe- 



a light soil, for where the soil is 

 heavy and retentive the seeds will often 

 rot. 



Sowing^ in Pots. 



This is the practice that now obtains 

 generally among all the best growers, and it 

 can be most relied on. Owing to the bad 

 season, the number of seeds in the packets 

 of tha novelties will probably ibe fewer than 

 usual. The best date to commence sowing 

 will be about October 14. A heap of soil 

 should be prepared consisting of three parts 

 sandy loam and one part coarse sand passed 

 through a half-inch sieve. I do not advise 

 the use of leaf-soil for sowing sweet peas, 

 as fungus often arises from the bits of rot- 

 ten stick, and spreads over the surface of 

 the pots, strangling the plants. Four-inch 

 pots are best for sowing the seeds in, and 

 they must be clean. Place about four 

 pieces of crock in the bottom of each, and 

 fill with the compost to within one mcli 

 of the top, making the soil firm ; the seeds 

 should be placed evenly on the surface 

 about fire seeds in a pot, and covered with 

 half an inch of the compost. Every pot 

 should be correctly labelled at the time 

 of sowing. The batch should then be placed 

 in a cold frame on an ash base. No water 

 wiU be needed until the seeds have germi- 

 nated, which will be in about three weeks. 



When the seedlings are showing thronsn 

 the soil the pots should be exammed, ana 

 if any seeds have not germinated and are 

 found to be hard, the outer sliell ^^^/'^^J;' 

 ing of the seed should be chipped sligmi 

 with a sharp knife; the seed will tnej 

 quickly expand and grow. The pots ^hom 

 at all times stand as close to the gla^^ 

 possible, so that the young seedlings "W.^ 

 be encouraged to make strong, st^j 

 growth. Fresh air must he admitted ' 

 all times in a;bnndance, and whenever 

 weather is favourable the lights are . 

 pulled right off. The only exception sHoii^^ 

 be when heavy rains prevail, or se ^^^^ 

 frost. I have never know^n frost to ku 

 young plants in frames, even " . • 'i^^.^t 

 frozen hard in the pots, but this .^^ 

 prevented hj covering the frames 

 with mats. Sweet >as detest <^^^^.' 

 and heat applied in anv way is ver^ . 

 ous. So soon as the sweet peas 

 tained the hei^rht of four inches they ^""^^^ 

 be potted off singly, using 3in. P^^^''^^^^^^ 

 a sandy compost. ^ The pot^ must be 

 inside, or the plants will not turn ou ^^^^^ 

 when thov are required for planting- ^^^^^ 

 potting stand them back again ^"/^^^^^ilv 

 frame and encourage them to arow s ^^^^ 



until the time arrives for V^^^^^^^'^,^^ 

 out. Lewis Smith. 



Norwich. 



