April 19, 1994 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
239 
- Wallflower Sutton’s Dwarf Bedder.—T his Wallflower 
is admirably adapted for bedding. The plants grow to a height of 
about 6 inches, and are now a mass of beautiful light yellow flowers, 
the feature about them being the absence of the tall centrali spike 
—K. P. R. 
- Sweet Peas in April. —Sweet Peas are much appreciated 
during the summer, but during the month of April they are doubly so. 
At Shrover Hall, near Cosham, I saw in one of the vineries there a 
number of plants about 4 feet high, in 8-inch pots, flowering freely and 
filling the house with fragrance. They were most creditable to the 
gardener, Mr. W. Cleator.— Visitor. 
- Reading Gardeners’ Society. —Mr. J. Crook of Forde 
Abbey Gardens, Chard, read a very interesting and able paper on 
Hardy Trees and Shrubs ” before the members of this body on 
the evening of the 9th. There was a large attendance, Mr. W. Lees 
occupying the chair. The subject was treated from a decorative aspect, 
and the exceeding beauty found in trees and shrubs strongly impressed. 
A cordial vote of thanks was given to Mr. Crook for his excellent paper. 
- Early Cabbages. —The Cabbage crop this year, on the whole. 
Is in a less satisfactory condition than usual, owing to the exceedingly 
warm weather experienced at the time of sowing the seed, and afterwards. 
I never saw so many “ bolters ” as this year. In some plots that I have 
seen more than half the plants are useless. Our first sowing of Ellam’s 
was made July 17th, which was a little too early considering the 
weather that followed. Having a number of small plants left over 
in the seed bed these were planted out later ; they are now coming on 
as if from a second sowing.—E. S. 
- Souvenir de la Malmaison Carnations.—I notice with 
great satisfaction that Mr. H. Prosser, in his remarks on the culture of 
these favourite flowers (page 286), fully supports my contention that a 
judicious use of the syringe is one of the greatest cultural aids towards 
preserving them in good health. Complaints about the fungus are 
more prevalent than usual this year. This is, I feel certain, in conse¬ 
quence of the bright weather of the last few weeks, which has been 
favourable for the ripening of the spores. This the use of the 
syringe, as clearly shown by Mr. Prosser, effectually prevents. 
If cultivators who are troubled with the fungus will use the 
syringe with persistent intelligence, they may yet do much towards 
restoring their plants to vigorous health.— H. Dunkin, Castle Gardens, 
WarioicTt. 
- Vegetation in Scotland.—T he Rev. David R. Williamson 
writes from Wigtonshire, N.B.—“This season is surely unprecedentedly 
early. In my garden Apple, Pear and Cherry blossoms already appear 
(April 10th), fully a month in advance of their normal time. Lettuces 
and other vegetables are showing above ground. The Sycamore trees 
are covered with leaves. The flower buds on one of my Mar^chal Niel 
Roses growing on a south wall are more than half grown. Several of the 
Hybrid Perpetual Roses, notably Crown Prince, Crimson Bedder, and 
Jeannie Dickson, are equally far advanced. Gloire de Dijon and Souvenir 
d’un Ami—the earliest of the Teas—have reached a similar stage of 
development. Dr. Stuart of Chirnside, in Berwickshire, the raiser of 
those beautiful miniature rayless Violas, Violetta and Sylvia, writing to 
me on April 5th, says that at that date Aquilegia Stuarti, which is also 
his production, is already in bloom. My own Aquilegias are not equally 
developed ; but they have been making of late remarkable progress, and 
will soon be in flower.” 
- A Potato Trial in Surrey.—D iffering materially from the 
Potato trial or trials conducted in Wiltshire by the County Council of 
that shire, and recently referred to, is the one in a comparatively small 
way being conducted under the Surrey County Council at Bookham. 
Here a piece of land some 26 rods in extent, intersected by a 3 feet path, 
is planted. The rows are of ordinary field distances, as the trial is 
intended chiefly for the benefit of agriculturists and allotment holders. 
There are thirty-two sorts, most of them selections from a former trial, 
with a few quite new. All these have received the same form of 
manorial dressing—viz., superphosphate three parts, kainit two parts, 
nitrate of soda two parts, and because of the dryness of the weather 
and soil the nitrate was applied at once. Then there are twenty-four 
rows planted with Magnum Bonum for a manure trial, two rows being 
without any, whilst there are with the rest twelve divers mixtures. The 
ground is very open and on chalk, and generally well represent all the 
ordinary conditions of field culture. 
- Rainfall Variations. — In “ Symons’ Meteorological 
Magazine” for the present month a table of rainfall in March shows 
that at Borrowdale (Seathwaite) the fall was not less than 11-24 inches, 
while at Boston it was only 0 45 inch. 
- Broccoli and Frost. —Referring to “ Hackwood’s ” remarks 
(page 281), I may say that the 33° of frost which we had in January 
killed all our Model, Standwell, and Dwarf White, and 80 per cent, 
of Late Queen Broccoli, which were growing on a border 15 feet wide 
on the north side of a brick wall 15 feet high. A few rows of Late 
Queen growing in the open quarter were left unscathed, and are being 
used at present. On the quarter almost adjoining the Late Queen a fine 
lot of Brussels Sprouts were entirely cut down.—R. B. 0., Alnwiclt, 
- Culture of Violets. —At a meeting of the Scottish Horti¬ 
cultural Association held recently at 5, St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, 
Councillor Mackenzie presiding, Mr. Alexander Bogie, Anchans, Ayr¬ 
shire, read a paper on the cultivation of the Violet, in which he 
animadverted upon propagation by means of runners, which he 
characterised as a reprehensible practice. He mainly advocated 
propagation of the Violet from side shoots, and described the treatment 
and cultivation of the flower, along with the attendant diseases to 
which it was liable, dealing specifically with the “ Sweet Violet.” In 
the discussion that followed stress was laid by several speakers on the 
difficulty of growing fragrant Violets near large cities. Mr. Macintosh. 
Peebles, urged gardeners to do their utmost to keep up their reputation 
in the matter of producing superior flowers to those cultivated by 
market gardeners. Mr. Mackenzie, Warriston, stated that if one point 
more than another characterised the past decade it was the steady 
progression of market horticulture. That was one of the most healthful 
symptoms of the present decade, and did much to stimu’ate interest in 
flowers. 
- Dry Summers. —The remarkable parallel between the spring 
of this year and the corresponding period of last year suggests, says the 
“ Daily News,” that we are going to have a repetition of our summer’s 
experience in 1893. It is impossible to infer this with any sort of con¬ 
fidence, as the weather prognostications this morning will suggest. It 
has often been said, and said with truth, that the only thing that is 
regular about our weather is its irregularity. Nevertheless it is a fact 
that the exceptionally brilliant summers of our meteorological history 
have shown a tendency to come in groups of twos and threes. This is 
shown as far back as we can trace any records. Thus a dry summer in 
1113 was followed by another one in 1114. The years 1135 and 1136 
were both exceedingly hot and dry. Again in 1252 there was a great 
drought and much suffering, and the following year was nearly as bad. 
The three years 1324-5-6 were exceptionally dry and brilliant, and so 
were the years 1352-3-4, and 1473-4-5, and 1539-40-41. From time to 
time throughout our history ever since the same curious persistency has 
been observable. At the beginning of the eighteenth century came two 
dry years, and then a group of three of the same character. Again, 
1717-18-19 were dry, and 1817-18 were of a similar character. 
- Double Primrobes.— It is to be hoped that the note on 
double Primroses by “ A. D.,” on page 281, may lead to these flowers 
receiving a greater share of attention than has been the case for some 
time. I am sorry to say I have not the pleasure of possessing all 
those named. Through an error of judgment, in removing them to a 
position which proved too dry, I lost the crimson and rose varieties. The 
blush and Croussei I have never had. There are two whites, one being 
larger and later in flowering than the other. I have what I think 
may be three distinct purples, but one having been grown in a different 
position may possibly be similar to another. I am trying them 
together, but feel almost confident that they are distinct. In addition 
to this there are offered, by a nurseryman near London, varieties named 
“ Brilliant,” described as having deep purplish crimson flowers in 
trusses; “ Original,” dark lilac, each petal margined with white; 
and “Harlequin,” rose, freely mottled with white. The double Poly¬ 
anthuses are still less commonly seen, and of these I have three varieties 
—“ Golden Ball,” “ Derncleughi,” and “ Rex Theodore.” I should 
much like to know if anyone has found a double variety of the common 
Primrose g^rowing wild. This week I have examined some thousands 
of plants, and only in one case have I found a tendency to doubling 
present. This was on two crowns only of one plant, and consisted of 
two or three small petals in the centre of the flower. The common 
Primrose is very plentiful in this district, but it is only in some 
particular places that even the tendency to vary in colour is found. 
—S. Arnott, Bum/ries. 
