October 23, ]88t. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
369 
ago, being the only variety of any value. From France good or 
new varieties of Peas never come, but these or others are never 
missed, as it would be absolutely impossible to surpass the good 
qualities possessed by many Peas now offered to the public in 
this country. Messrs. Sharpe of Sleaford have for some years 
been sending out two noted varieties of Mr. Culverwell’s—viz.. 
Giant Marrow and Paragon. They are both good. The former 
is one of the best of the large-podded varieties, and the latter is 
a short thick-podded early vai’iety of much merit. Both have 
done well in 188-1. Messrs. Carter have long made Peas one of 
their specialities, and their Telephone, Telegraph, Stratagem, 
and Pride of the Market are too well known now to require any 
description. They are all good in every respect, and have main¬ 
tained their high characters well throughout 1884. Duke of 
Albany, a new Pea of this year, bears a striking resemblance to 
Telegraph; so much so, that were the pods gathered and mixed it 
would be a most difficult matter to separate them, and were a 
row of each grown side by side it would be very difficult to tell 
the difference. From this it will be understood that Duke of 
Albany is a good Pea, being Telegraph in all points except in 
having wrinkled seed, which makes it a little more tender for 
early spring sowing. 
Of late we have been receiving some surprisingly good Peas 
from Messrs. Webb of Stourbridge. For exquisite quality and 
uncommon productiveness they are highly commendable. The 
Wordsley Wonder, a new Pea of 1884, was grown early in the 
season in frames, later on in a warm south border, and later still 
in the main quarters, and in each c ise most satisfactory crops 
were obtained. It is a blue wrinkled MaiTOwfat about 3 feet in 
height, and an immense bearer of dark green pods, which fill well 
from end to end with tender sweet peas. It is certainly the Pea 
of 1884, and has quality enough to be a favourite for many years 
to come. The Stourbridge Marrow, Electric Light, and Triumph, 
are all first-class main season Peas, favourably commented upon 
by me in the Journal previous to 1884. Mr. Laxton’s Evolution 
is a most handsome-podded Pea, but I fear it is not prolific 
enough to take its place aiid keep its position with others. 
Veitch’s Perfection, as everybody knows, is a splendidly fiavoured 
Pea, but were the pods more numerous it would be more culti¬ 
vated. Laxton’s Omega is a late variety, which, when once in¬ 
troduced, will always be retained. Sutton’s Latest of All is true 
to name, and for present gathei'ing has no equal. Sunrise was 
on its last trial this year, and has been discarded. William the 
First is still retained, and Sutton’s Ringleader is regarded with 
equal favour. The edible-podded Peas are novel, and some of 
them very good. An unnamed variety I had from Messrs. 
Jefferies of Cirencester this season is the best I have seen. It 
attained a height of 5 feet, produced purple-coloured flowers and 
fine pods, which were ready for use as soon as they were 3 inches 
long, and remained good nntil they were full grown, when some 
of them were 10 inches in length and about 2 inches in width. 
At this time they contain large peas, which are boiled with the 
pods, and are uncommonly good. Everybody should grow this 
Pea. 
The summer of 1884 was a very trying one for all Peas. 
Always delighting in abundance of moisture at the root when in 
full growth, this condition was naturally wanting during the 
hot weather and the long drought, and where the deficiency was 
not remedied by deep and good cultivation, or copious waterings, 
the Pea season would be a short one. But Pea crops in gardens 
always repay for the best attention, such as deep tillage, heavy 
manuring, and artificial watering when required. In shallow 
light soils it can be readily understood that Peas would fail, or 
some good varieties only prove moderately satisfactory in 1884, 
but with those named above failure would occur thi'ough want 
of cultivation, and not from any lack of good properties in the 
Peas. Where ground cannot be specially deeply dug and manured 
for Peas, it is a simple matter to dig out a trench about 2 feet 
wide and the same in depth, to be filled with rich material for 
the Peas. As a I’ule we never grow our Peas as close as they can 
conveniently follow each other, but they are kept wide apart 
with some rows of dwarfer vegetables between, and we always 
follow the trenching-out plan of preparing the ground for each 
row. Light manure is of the utmost advantage in producing fine 
crops of Peas in dry weather, while mulching over the roots is 
an excellent summer practice, and I do not think there ever was 
a season when they required it more and wei*e benefited by it to 
such an extent as during the past summer.— J, Muir, Margam 
Park. 
ORCHARD HOUSES. 
I ALSO am a constant reader of the Journal of Horticulture, 
and am indebted to it for many valuable hints which have con¬ 
tributed to my success in the cultivation of various plants, and 
among others of orchard-house trees. The latter bubble, as your 
correspondent calls it, has with me been sparkling in the sunshine 
of prosperity for about thirty years and has not yet burst. I 
would ask, therefore, to be permitted to say a few words in favour 
of a system which, whatever its drawbacks may be in the hands 
of some, is yet when properly managed calculated to afford the 
amateur a fair supply of fruit and a large amount of pleasure. 
I was one of the first who adopted Mr. Rivers’ plan, and I not 
only read his b jok but visited him at Sawbridgeworth, and found 
hioi so intelligent, pleasant, and courteous that I soon gathered 
from him both in seeing and hearing all the information that 
I required, and let me add that, having sought his advice, I 
followed it. 
1 thought that it was as well whilst I was about it to put up 
a substantial house; so I pulled down a wall which ran across 
the centi’e of my garden and used the materials as a foundation, 
which I raised 2^ feet high. On this I erected a span-roofed 
hou-e 72 feet long by 21 feet broad, with glass ventilators that 
could be opened the whole length of the building on both sides. 
What a London firm would have charged for such a building I 
know not, but to me it was comparatively cheap. I was my own 
architect, bought my rafters ready for use and my glass cut to 
size, and while the village carpenter put up the woodwork my 
own man put in the glass. Half of the house is heated and is 
used as a vinery and for Camellias with other winter-flowering 
plants. The other half is my orchard house, the central bed of 
which is given to fruit trees, the side beds to flowers. The par¬ 
tition between the two houses is of glass, and has a panel on 
each side which can be open or shut, so that if a late spring frost 
is apprehended when the trees are in bloom I can throw in a 
little heat and make all safe. The number of trees varies, of 
course, according to their size. This year I have had fourteen, 
which have yielded about sixty dozen fine fruits. Had I trusted 
to trees on the open wall the result would probably have been 
nil. At least such has been the case for many years whilst 
trying to grow Peaches and Nectarines out of doors. 
Now with reference to the cultivation of orchard-house trees 
and its difficulties. Your correspondent speaks of the need of 
patience and perseverance, but will he tell me how many plants 
can be brought to perfection without the exercise of these virtues ? 
If you are content to have in your house misshapen plants lolling 
about from side to side and curled with blight you may easily 
grow such without trouble; but if you want a seemly and shapely 
plant on which your eye can rest with satisfaction from first to 
last much care and watchfulness, much patience and persever¬ 
ance, must necessarily be exercised. 
Your correspondent next proceeds t) suggest what may 
happen in the choice and use of soil and in the choice of trees, 
and I feel inclined to supplement his many “ mays ” with this 
additional one. A man may want common sense, and if so he 
had certainly better not attempt the cultivation of any plants. 
He evidently is not fit for that entomological warfare, which, 
however, is not so fearful a thing as “ H. W. H.” represents it. 
The novice may be frightened at the hose which he marshals 
with so much effect, but a very small quantity of softsoap will 
keep the enemy away. I melt 2 lbs. of softsoap in four gallons 
of water, and put half a pint of this mixture to every four 
gallons of water that I use for syringing night an ! morning, and 
neither green fly, nor red spider, nor thrips nor ants interferes 
with my amusement. And what a pleasure it is ! Can anything 
be more beautiful than an orchard house when the trees are in 
bloom ? or anything more interesting than to watch the setting 
of the fruit and its gradual development among the tender leaves 
until it reaches maturity, whilst banks of flowers on either side 
lend their aid to enliven the scene, and Stocks and Mignonette 
help to relieve the bare look of the ground on which the trees 
are placed ? Now that they are removed the bed has had a 
dressing of liquid manure and has been planted with Chrysan¬ 
themums, which will keep us gay till Christmas. 
But I should weary your readers to tell all the uses to which 
my orchard house is put. Early Cauliflower and Lettuce find a 
place there in spring, and being pricked out from the seed bed 
into small pots become sturdy plants by the time the weather 
admits of their being planted out. One caution I would give 
about the choice of trees, which is this : It is almost impossible 
to get trees from the nursery of any size the symmetry of which 
is not spoilt in packing by broken branches. Hence my plan 
has been to buy maiden trees, cut them back to five or six eyes, 
and plant them in the open. The next year I pot them, cut them 
back again, and still grow them out of doors. The third year 
they will bear from one to two dozen fruits. By buying a few 
plants every three or four years I have a stock ready to replace 
any trees that may fai^ and, what is more, I have them trained 
