120 
CARTER AND CO.’S GARDENER’S VADE-MECUM FOR 1S(!2. 
j Report, in the ‘ Gardeners' Chronicle ' of September 28 th y 1861, 
of James Carter and Co.'s Seed Farms. 
Garden Memoranda. 
Messrs. Carter & Co.’s Annual Grounds, Dedham 
and St. Osyth, Essex.— Some account of what we saw 
on a recent visit to these interesting seed-producing esta- 
blishments may perhaps not be unacceptable to our readers. 
Mr. Dunnett, one of the firm, who for many years has de- 
voted the whole of his attention to the production and 
selection of flower and vegetable seeds on these grounds, 
showed us many of our most striking and favourite annuals, 
both old and new, not grown in small patches, but by the 
acre; and seen in masses of that extent, the different colours, 
arranged as they were in parallel hods, separated by broad 
belts of vegetables, were most effective. First came beds 
of very tine double Stocks in separate colours ; then a col- 
lection of Marigolds, which exhibited ample evidence of the 
improvement effected in this description of flower by means 
of years of careful selection ; the dwarf and yellow minia- 
ture French varieties were very double, and so compact in 
growth that they made excellent beds ; African kinds were 
also beautiful, and nearly as large and double as ordinary- 
sized Dahlias. Attention was next directed to some charm- 
ing beds of Senecio, among which the most striking was one 
of brilliant Magenta colour, literally one mass of bloom; 
others were bright crimson, rosg, purple, copper, and white, 
and the profusion of flowers which each of them produced 
made them very effective, especially when viewed from a 
distance. Near these was a magnificent display of the vari- 
ous kinds of Coreopsis, the most striking among which were 
C. nigra speciosa, rich deep crimson ; grandiflora, gold with 
crimson centre; and Burridgii, the finest of all the tall 
kinds, brilliant golden yellow with large centre of rich ma- 
roon crimson. The dwarf sorts were also remarkably beau- 
tiful. Than Meseinhryanthcmum tricolor and album nothing 
could be handsomer ; of these we noticed large beds, which, 
when the sun shone on them, were most effective. Of 
Linum grandiflorum (rubrum) there was a quarter at least 
half an acre in extent, and thus seen en masse nothing 
could be more dazzling, its masses of rich crimson blossoms 
being most abundant. No difficulty is experienced here in 
getting it to grow ; the seeds receive no artificial prepara- 
tion previous to sowing, which takes place in the open 
ground; and every one of them vegetates. Tom Thumb 
Clarkia also made a good bed, rich in colour, dwarf and 
compact. Among dwarf (E noth eras, macrocarpa still stood 
in the first rank ; and among tall kinds (E. Lamarckii occu- 
pies a similar position, it blooms the first year most pro- 
fusely from June to October; individually the blossoms are 
of large size, averaging 4 inches in diameter. On one plant 
alone of this variety we counted no fewer than twenty-three 
flowers, all open at one time. Saponaria calabriea, a plan- 
tation two acres in extent, was in full bloom, and literally 
covered the ground with a dense carpet of rich rosy flowers. 
The finest sight, however, of all was the magnificent masses 
of Tropatolum Tom Thumb, “ scarlet,” of which alone there 
was about an acre as red as a soldier’s coat, and equally 
brilliant ; next came one-third of an acre of “ dark crimson,” 
a fine kind of Tropajolum, rich and beautiful in colour ; 
also “ Beauty,” a yellow variety streaked and blotched with 
scarlet. Then came “ Crystal Palace Gem,” a new bright 
sulphur Troptcolum, blotched with maroon ; the habit of 
tliese is excellent, and the leaves much smaller than those 
of common Nasturtium, over which they have the advantage 
of throwing their blossoms well up above the foliage. Less 
striking perhaps, but not less interesting, was Convolvulus 
tricolor splendcns, a great improvement, especially in point 
of colour, on the purplish blue Convolvulus minor. Of 
Tropaeo'.um Lobbianum “Lillie Schmidt,” a trailing variety 
resembling the Crystal Palace Scarlet, there was a tine mass 
profusely in bloom. For conservatory or greenhouse deco- 
ration, or for festooning over the sides of vases or hanging 
baskets, nothing could be more useful than this plant. • 
In the single Chrysanthemum Burridgeanum we have 
also a perfect gem ; its large white blossoms, ornamented 
with concentric rings of various colours, are extremely 
handsome, and should secure it a place in every garden; 
the blooms also keep long in perfection placed in water in 
a cut state. Eschscholtzia tenuifolia, a charming miniature 
variety, with erect rush-like foliage, seemed admirably 
adapted for edgings ; its colour is clear sulphur yellow, and 
its height not more than 4 inches. Leptosiphon aureus is 
another admirable edging plant, covered as it is for many 
weeks in succession with small stellate golden blossoms. 
Associated with these was a large bed of Lobelia formosa, 
an upright growing variety with rich purplish blue blossoms, 
somewhat resembling those of L. speciosa but larger. Con- 
tiguous to this was a bed of Troptcolum “ Brilliant,” a fine 
trailing variety with showy scarlet blossoms and dark green 
leaves, very distinct from those of other kinds. Passing 
large breadths of the showy Delphinium formosum and other 
varieties, Gdia achillesefolia alba next attracted attention ; 
it has large heads of pure white bloom, and is a very pretty 
addition to our hardy annuals. Among Lupines, hybridus 
insignis, purplish rose; L. venustus, mazarine blue; L. tri- 
color clegans, purple, white, and violet. ; and L. Dunnetti 
superbus, red, biue, and yellow, are all about the same 
height, viz. 2 feet, and have long and beautiful spikes of 
bloom. Among Slaticcs, plants of S. texana, a useful pink 
kind, measured from 1 to 2 feet in diameter. A large bed 
of Convolvulus tricolor monstrosus, with rich deep purplish 
blossoms 3 inches in diameter, was very conspicuous, as was 
also the double variety of Clarkia pulchella,,a new and de- 
sirable plant for ornamental purposes of all kinds, the flowers 
being very double and the colour a rich Magenta ; this re- 
ceived a First-class Certificate at a committee meeting of 
the Royal Agricultural Society. Among Malvaceous plants, 
one of the most showy was the Red Lavatera, a well-known 
and showy annual. Petunias were remarkably showy, and 
among them were one or two fac-similes of Mrs. Ferguson, 
the beautiful purple-striped white son lately figured in the 
Florist. Other kinds were crimson, purple, rose, violet 
striped and white— all the best in their respective classes ; 
and there was also a useful assortment of mixed varieties. 
Lobelia gracilis erecta, an extremely neat and pretty kind, 
well suited for edging, pots, or vases, was in fine condition ; 
Nemesia versicolor compacta, one of the most charming 
annuals in cultivation, formed compact little bushes about 
one foot high, profusely covered with variously coloured 
blossoms. 
Some very large beds of Pacony Poppies in twelve distinct 
colours were very showy ; their blossoms, being large and 
brilliant in colour, produced a striking effect. A fine piece 
of purplish blue Convolvulus minor was likewise most beau- 
tiful, as was also a bed of Everlastings, consisting of lleli- 
chrysum compositum, maximum, macranthum nanum, brac- 
teatuin album, Acroclinium. roseum and album. Associated 
with these was a mass of starry Scabious, the blooms of 
which form an admirable addition to winter bouquets. 
Venus’s Navelwort, on account of its silvery foliage, bids 
fair to make a good white edging. Erysimum or Barbarea 
variegata, with golden striped foliage, likewise makes a use- 
ful ornamental edging and riband plant. Near Mr. Dunnett’s 
residence were some fine beds of mixed Sweet William, 
Indian Pinks, and the variety of Diantlms called Dunnetti, 
