1 94 
AS OTHERS SEE US. 
Roprinted from “The Garden,” August 29th, 1903, 
Photographed and Copyrighted by J. C. Co. 
A VIEW IN CARTERS’ EXPERIMENTAL GROUNDS, No. 3, MORTLAICE, SURREY. 
MESSRS. JAMES CARTER AND CO.’S MORTLAKE TRIAL GROUNDS. 
Most fortunate in getting possession of the ground on which 
their various flower, vegetable, and other trials are conducted 
is this eminent metropolitan seed firm. It is placed just mid- 
way between Mortlake and Richmond Stations, on the Windsor 
branch of the South VVcstern Railway. There is always some- 
thing to see in such trial grounds, and though the huge trial of 
some 1,000 rows and 250 varieties of Peas was practically over, 
there were many other things to command attention. The firm 
have a high reputation for their lawn grasses, and to that end 
keep very many patches of diverse grasses, and mixtures 
suitable for lawns, tennis courts, cricket pitches, bowling greens, 
and golf greens. All of these, some fifty in number, of varying 
sizes, were sown last autumn, as early as September, some in 
October, and others in March and April. Besides these 
testing patches there arc two large ones specially kept to show 
the value of their grasses for golf greens. All are kept 
regularly mown. What are described as Mixtures, varying 
according to soils and requirements, give most perfect lawns, 
and the patches sown as late as the spring seem to be as good as 
those sown last autumn. The firm advise using the seed with 
a liberal hand, even at the rate of some twelve bushels per acre. 
That anyone should endure the miseries of a weedy lawn when 
by first thoroughly cleansing the ground, then sowing with the 
best lawn grasses, they may have a lawn of the most perfect 
kind, passes comprehension. 
If Peas are over, there is furnished in the many pods put to 
dry off evidence of the care taken to secure fine stocks. The 
firm’s experts go over every row or variety and mark the plants 
that are producing the best or finest pods. These alone when 
ripe are gathered, wintered, and then sown to create the im- 
proved stocks of the future. No other pods are gathered. 
That is one of the things which show what the seed trade is 
doing to supply the best class products to customers. Runner 
Beans are now fast coming to perfection, and the many stocks 
there represent the finest of strains. How far we have got away 
from the old short-podded forms of Painted Lady and scarlet 
flowered the present stocks show. The firm have a strain which 
is designated Holborn Seedling. It givesseedsofdiverse colours, 
and refuses to be selected ; but no matter what the colour of 
the seed, it all produces the same fine, robust growth, abundant 
crops, and fine, long, handsome pods. A parti or red and 
white flowered stock has been obtained, which resembles in 
bloom the old Painted Lady, but is far more prolific, as the 
pods are double the length of those of the original variety. 
*37, *38, & 97, High toNpojf.— 1904, 
Carters’ Champion (white flowered) and Carters’ Jubilee (red 
flowered), with Holborn Seedling and their Ne Plus Ultra all 
give grand crops and superb, long handsome pods. 
Onions, both winter and spring sown, are just now a great 
feature. Of the latter there are some 250 rows, the stock 
throughout showing fine bulbing properties. A huge breadth 
of Lettuces was over, with the exception of one curled 
Cabbage variety named Holborn Standard, that refused to run 
to seed at all. It is, indeed, a useful late-keeping Lettuce. 
There were eighty-five varieties of Beets, there were 600 
rows, and a wonderful collection of stocks. Of them all, we 
liked none better than Carters’ Perfection, an ideal garden 
Beet. Spring-sown Cabbages, too, were in huge quantity, but 
being sown late were not yet matured. There were various 
other vegetable stocks, but these suffice for reference. Of 
course flowers are grown in rich profusion. Specially notice- 
able was a big plantation of Hollyhocks from seed, carrying 
noble spikes of capital double flowers, varied in colours, white, 
yellow, pink, red, crimson, and other hues. 
The firm have long had a high reputation for their dwarf 
Tropaeolums. Just now, in spite of the heavy rains, a big 
breadth of the self yellow Golden Queen Nasturtium is most 
attractive, and is a fine foil to a lesser breadth of Empress of 
India (rich crimson) close by. There are some beautiful dwarf 
Godetias, of which Rosamund (soft rose) is a beauty. Glorioso 
is an intense rich crimson, and Lady Satin Rose and Whitneyii 
are intermediate, yet most effective colours. Very fine indeed 
is the strain of what are termed “ Butterfly ” Gladioli. These 
seem to be intermediate between the gandavensis and Lemoinei 
sections, and have large flowers variously and brilliantly coloured . 
Summer, Intermediate, and Brompton Slocks are grown in 
immense quantities. 
Asters, all sown in the open ground, are later, but will give 
a very fine show presently. So, too, will Helichrysums, Mari- 
golds, and various other annuals. Amidst several rows of the 
Sweet Alyssum it was not possible to fail to notice one of the 
compact Koniga maritimum compactum, 3 inches high, forming 
dense cushions of white flowers, perhaps the most perfect 
summer carpet plant to be found. Pansies, Polyanthuses, and 
many other hardy things on trial are there also. Carnations 
from seed sown at this time last year have flowered, and still 
are flowering profusely, and carrying large double flowers. To 
see all that is growing in such trial grounds they need to be 
yjsjted often, 
