178 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ August 25 , issi. 
Earliest Varieties. —Dicksons’ First and Best and William I., 
both cropping well, are of fine quality, and have hardy constitu¬ 
tions. If there is a preference it should be given to the latter on 
account of colour, but this only pleases the eye. These require 
sticks with me of 3£ feet above ground, 4 feet between rows. 
Second Early Varieties. — Laxton’s Alpha, a blue wrinkled 
Marrow of the finest quality ; and Dr. Hogg, a green wrinkled 
Marrow highly Savoured. These need sticks 5 feet in height. 
General or Main Crop Varieties. —Criterion, a splendid cropper, 
after the type of Ne Plus Ultra, and a grand Pea in every respect; 
and a companion is found in Huntingdonian, which is a form of 
Champion of England. It is of little consequence which is grown, 
as they are as near alike as two Peas well can be, and they are 
both of excellent quality. 1 have found a fault in the latter which 
I have not noticed in Criterion, dry as the season has been—viz., 
in being subject to mildew, and soon becoming too “ old.'’ They 
need sticks 0 feet in height, which despite the drought have been 
overtopped. Telephone is probably the finest quality tall Pea 
ever raised. Telegraph is a fine tall Pea and of better colour, 
continuing longer in season than Telephone. The Baron, which I 
have grown this season for the first time, promises to be a grand 
main crop variety ; it is certainly a capital cropper, bearing a dozen 
pods mostly in pairs, containing nine to a dozen peas of good size 
and fine green colour, being in fact a green Marrow of good quality. 
The pods are about 5 inches long, in some instances an inch 
more, filling well. The plant is of moderately strong grow th, and 
needs sticks 6 feet high. 
Late Varieties. —Ne Plus Ultra is well known, being an abun¬ 
dant bearer, with peas of a deep green colour and delicious flavour, 
affording a supply for some time successionally. This is the very 
best of the late Peas, requiring sticks 7 feet high. Emperor of the 
Marrows, which may be classed as a fine form of British Queen, is 
of strong growth, having fine pods filled well with large peas of 
superior quality. It requires sticks not les3 than 7 feet above 
ground. 
Of the “medium-height” varieties there is none better as first 
early than those already named—viz., Dickson’s First and Best 
and Laxton’s William I. Second Early—Eley’s Essex Rival, a 
large good Pea ; and Advancer, a green wrinkled sort, good both 
in quality and cropping. Main Crop.—-Dr. Maclean, a blue 
wrinkled Marrow ; a capital cropper and of good quality. Marvel, 
which was sent to me in 1874 by Mr. Laxton for trial, is a good 
white wrinkled Marrow, producing its pods in pairs, usually with 
nine or ten large peas of exquisite flavour. Veitch’s Perfection is 
still unsurpassed in its class ; and Stratagem promises to be good 
alike for the main and late crops. Late.—Maclean’s Best of All, 
a fine green wrinkled Marrow, hardier than Veitch’s Perfection 
and of superior quality. Maclean’s Premier, a wrinkled Marrow, 
good alike in cropping and quality. Blue Scimitar in an unfavour¬ 
able season and locality for late Peas often does well when those 
named only do moderately. 
Of the very dwarf Peas I am not enamoured. They are useful 
for growing in pots, boxes, or in pits to afford a few early dishes, 
and may be used for the same purpose at the base of walls with 
south aspect. Little Gem is good, Early Premium better, and 
Blue Peter to my mind the best of all in this section.—G. Abbey. 
COMPARISONS—ROSES. 
Compared with the springs of 1879 and 1880, that of 1881, 
severe though it proved in the early part of the season, has not on 
the whole been so adverse to Roses as might have been expected. 
Much good steady growth was made through the whole genial 
month of May, but much of this progress was checked by a cold 
and unkindly June, and the trees became infested by the little 
green insect, whose frothy surroundings were to be found not on 
Rose trees only, but on Gooseberries and Currant trees and on 
the grass even, and in one county on the Hops. The Rose trees 
suffered severely from their visitation, the shoots of the first bloom 
being damaged and the blooms turned black and disfigured. 
Many standards had already succumbed to the frosts of winter 
or had died off after pruning, but the dwarfs generally came out 
well, nor in my small collections have I lost any Tea Roses. Reine 
Marie Henriette, planted last autumn near a south-west wall, has 
grown and spread with remarkable vigour, the bloom being very 
early, vivid cerise, like Madame Boutin, and highly fragrant. 
Cheshunt Hybrid, too, is a strong grower with showy flowers, but 
wholly wanting both in flower and foliage in the delicacy which 
distinguishes the true Tea. 
Amongst the newer Hybrid Perpetuals A. K. Williams appears 
a most satisfactory Rose, of excellent shape, size, and substance, 
rich foliage carrying grand blooms of an intense vivid red, which 
retained their freshness unscathed through three days of the 
almost tropical sunshine of July. Souvenir de Spa is darker and 
more velvety red, somewhat shallow in the cup, still a fine Rose 
and of exquisite fragrance. Sir Garnet Wolseley is a fine and 
very effective Rose, in colour like Madame Annie Wood. Beauty 
of Waltham never fails. Star of Waltham has not yet been suffi¬ 
ciently tested by me, but of certain old favourites which have 
made themselves so at home in our light soil I cannot speak too 
highly. La France and Capitaine Christy have been of great size, 
and the former always preserves its perfect outlines. While 
generally securing a few of the most promising of the newer varie¬ 
ties, I love to add to the old and tried favourites. For richness of 
colour and perfume Prince Camille de Rohan can hardly be sur¬ 
passed, but with me the blooms are small. Pierre Notting is very 
large, and Reynolds Hole has given me some medium blooms, but 
of an almost unique richness, the scarlet shading of the maroon 
being very beautiful. 
As to the gaps which the gradual decay and loss of the stand¬ 
ards have occasioned, we in the first place lifted quantities of 
blue Nemophila (Nemophila insignis), besides planting numbers 
of the Anemone japonica alba. The first is not yet over, the last 
are beginning to make a display, and both are refreshing to the 
eye amongst the many red tints, which are always easy to obtain. 
Petunias, too, are now very large and showy, and in a somewhat 
shaded bed a few choice Pansies are at this moment flowering 
well. Amongst others Duchess of Edinburgh, Mrs. Felton, 
Queen of Yellows, Rev. John Taylor, Senator, and Corbie. 
Nothing can really compensate for the loss of the standard Roses, 
grand, beautiful, and attractive as they were ; but we must ad¬ 
mit that amateurs with small gardens in exposed situations must, 
for the present at least, give up growing them, save here and there 
in sheltered spots. The Rose will still be the Rose whether high 
or low-growing. We must accept our fate, cherishing all old 
tried favourites, and welcoming the new additions as we have 
space and inclination.—A. M. B. 
Mr. Richard Gorton requests us to state that the Rose- 
flake Carnation Tim Bobbin was the variety selected by the 
Judges as the premier Carnation at the recent Manchester Exhi¬ 
bition, and not Rob Roy, as recorded on page 149 of this Journal. 
- In reference to the Pension Augmentation Fund of 
the Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, Mr. Cutler states 
that “ The number of responses I have now received to the appeal 
to this fund is 339, contributing the sum of £406 ID. lOd. The 
average remains the same as recorded last week—viz., £1 4s. each 
response.” 
- In reply to “ G. 0. S.” respecting the method of making 
Birdlime from Hollies, Mr. H. Ritchie sends the following 
note—“ I remove the bark immediately after the trees are cut 
down, as it can then be easily separated. It is then boiled for some 
time until the outer layer will peel off. When this is done place 
the bark on a flagstone and thoroughly beat it to fragments with 
a hammer, then provide a tub with water and take a small por¬ 
tion of bark and wash it to remove the fibre and refuse. When 
this has been effected put the cleansed portion in a tin box, and 
it will keep good for twelve months.” 
- “ R. P. B.” observes—“ With regard to the controversy 
respecting the relative success of shaded and unshaded 
Camellias, I send some specimens of the growth our plants 
have made, all with one exception grown under shade. Colour 
and size of foliage so far have very little to do with the blooming 
qualities of the plants. There may be of course a small dwind¬ 
ling growth with foliage of a corresponding type, but plants in 
perfect health I imagine will give quite as good returns as those 
with larger leaves and which possess the peculiar glossy dark 
green hue noticeable in some collections. I have also sent some 
