'September 27, 88S. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
285 
had turned over two spits deep and the bottom forked over, but the 
top sod was kept at the top. in fact left much as it was before, only 
moved and mixed, the manure being mixed with the top spit. I sowed 
Gladiator, Triumph, and Criterion, the two first growing about 3 feet 
high, and Criterion 6 feet. Gladiator was simply “ a sight ” of pods 
from near the bottom to the top of the haulm, and the crop prodigious. 
Triumph is a large-podded and blue-wrinkled Marrow of the first order 
as to quality and crop. Criterion is, as I have found it everywhere, the 
best second-early Pea, crop and quality being the tests of merit. 
Main Crop. —We relied upon Criterion with Telephone and Telegraph. 
The two latter though good, were not up to their usual standard of 
excellence. Are they less carefully selected ? Duke of Albany proved 
excellent, and the quality all that could be desired, yet it was not nearly 
so prolific nor had such well filled pods as Prodigy, which was a picture 
from the abundance of large handsome pods, and the quality is 
superb. 
Latent Crops. —Autocrat grew very robustly, and formed a broad row 
from its branching habit, and it bears very low down for a tallish Pea. It 
grew over 5 feet high, and has large rounded pods well filled with large 
deep green Peas, the crop not coming in all at once but successionally. 
My impression of it is, that as a main crop and a late sort it is 
unrivalled, and the intention was to save all for seed, but so highly was 
it esteemed at table that not a single pod remained, and the only con¬ 
solation granted on remonstrating about the Peas being all gathered 
was in the reply “ they would have ’em.” Best of All were the most 
indifferent of the kinds grown, Sturdy being very much better, indeed 
it seems to have a very much hardier constitution, and is a “ come 
again” sort, the crop being produced successionally. Ne plus Ultra 
fully maintained its reputation as “ one of the best ” tall-growing late 
sorts, in fact a carefully selected true stock of this Pea is Ne plus 
Ultra as a “green” sort; and as a “ white,” which come up to the crop 
and delicious flavour of a true stock of British Queen ? All points con¬ 
sidered the latter was the best Pea of the year. It is not so showy 
either growing or dished as the best sorts, comparing badly with 11 King” 
and “ Emperor,” but the 11 proof of the pudding is in the eating,” 
judged by which standard British Queen is the best. 
Now we come to the selection, as follows :—Earliest, Yeitch’s Extra 
Early and William 11. ; second early, Criterion and Prodigy ; later crops, 
Autocrat and Ne plus Ultra, with British Queen ; for exhibition, Duke 
of Albany. If the height is a consideration, then in second early, Dr. 
Maclean and Triumph ; and later crops, Best of All and Sturdy, with 
Marvel, the earliest being the same as before. 
There may be better sorts, of which I shall be pleased to hear in order 
to test them, which are influenced by the practice. I tried to grow Peas 
this year on ground merely dug a spit deep, on others turned two spits 
deep and the bottom loosened, mixing only, and not bringing the bottom 
to the top, and trenching two spits deep, cleaning out the bottom and 
pointing it over, but bringing it to the surface, yet the bottom spit was 
placed at the top. The ground was well manured, and in all cases the 
manure was put down a spit deep. It may be as well to observe that our 
manure is that of stables, cow houses, and piggeries, simply mixed by turn¬ 
ing and made— i.e., the strawy parts into manure by saturating with the 
drainings ; indeed, it is used raw, spread evenly on the surface, and 
dug or otherwise put under when time and weather permit, which 
on a clay soil is not always. Then as soon after the Peas are staked as 
opportunity offer, or by when they have 11 slatted,” we mulch the whole 
of the ground with the manure above indicated for the medium growers, 
and the tall ones as well if there is not a between crop, when the mulch¬ 
ing extends 18 to 24 inches wide on both sides, but we like to mulch the 
whole, and do so when practicable. 11 What a waste 1” Manure under a 
summer sun will evaporate. Really I cannot see any waste of manurial 
matter at all corresponding to its being placed in a mountain-like heap, 
etearning away its qualities in order to form a close soapy mass full of 
poisonous acids. “ Muck middens,” with the ammonia evaporated or 
given off through heating, and its soluble constituents run off by rains, 
may be convenient, but it surely is not the way to get the manurial pro¬ 
perties distributed over a large area and utilised to the best advantage. 
Placed on the surface as a mulching it does not heat, decomposition 
takes place slowly, and it cannot evaporate when dry, and if wet what¬ 
ever is soluble is carried into the soil. Anyway "the mu lching answers, 
and what is of more consequence it as a dressing is more valuable 
than an equal thickness of hotbed manure ; in fact, we benefit the 
current crop to the extent of what otherwise would pass into the air or 
be washed away and leave the ground in better heart for a succeeding 
crop. 
The Peas on ground merely dug were not so good in crop as those on 
the soil stirred, but not turned upside down by fully a third, and those 
on the stirred soil were not so full in crop by a third as those grown on 
the trenched ground. The digging was effected in one-third the time 
of the stirred and trenched ground, which two last were about equal in 
labour, consequently we have a fair idea of the relative values of digging, 
deep cultivation without and with reversal of surface. There is, how¬ 
ever, greater difference than appears, for by increasing the crop we 
increase the relative values of quality, which is the chief factor in 
estimating results. All the crops on the trenched ground were of a 
very much higher standard of excellence, except in the case of the 
early sorts, where earliness tells considerably as to value, but in other 
respects the results were identical.— Utilitarian. 
GLOUCESTERSHIRE VIOLET (OR MINSTERWORTH) 
PLUM. 
This Plum is named The Prince, but it is known in the Manchester 
market as Gloucestershire Violet. It grows freely in the alluvial soil 
of the Severn bank, and has existed here 
from time immemorial ; indeed, it may be 
said to be almost indigenous, as it does not 
require grafting or budding for its propaga¬ 
tion, but springs from the stone or from 
shoots growing from the roots, like the 
common Damson. It is an early Plum, 
ripening about a week after Rivers’ Early. 
It is chiefly used for cooking or for jam, 
though as the flesh is soft it may be eaten 
without the consequences attendant on hard- 
fleffied Plums. In Manchester market, where 
it is chiefly sent, it obtains a much better 
price than Rivers’ Early. The crop of 
fruit is uncertain, as the blossom is liable 
to be injured by spring frosts; but if the 
season is favourable the tree bears abun- fkl si.— Gloucester violet 
. . , PLUM. 
ciantly. The tree grows specially in the 
gardens of the cottagers, in the hedgerows, and on the banks of the 
Severn.— George Viner Ellis, Severn Banli, Minsterworth. 
[The Plum in question is represented in the figure. The fruit is 
oval, sometimes obovate, with a contraction near the stalk, and suture 
well defined ; skin dark mahogany, covered with a thin bloom ; stalk 
from half an inch to three-quarters long; flesh greenish, quite tender, 
sweet, and pleasantly flavoured ; stone small, long, and channelled on 
the back. The fruit separates very easily from the stalk, and the flesh 
separates freely from the stone.] 
NOTES ON EARLY ENGLISH HORTICULTURE. 
{Continued from page 144.') 
Thinking men generally are now agreed that the Crusades, 
terrible no doubt in their evils while they lasted, were afterwards 
fruitful for good. They broke down the barriers between nations, 
promoted travelling, helped to diffuse knowledge, and certainly 
aided the progress of horticulture, also of botany, its kindred science. 
In England it is very perceptible that frequent foreign wars, 
and the long domestic troubles connected with the “ Wars of the 
Roses,” prevented both nobles and commoners from taking prac¬ 
tical interest in any branch of gardening. Our forefathers were no 
students of hygiene, but they were quite wide awake to the fact 
that man’s diet should be a mixture of animal and vegetable food. 
But they put into their broths and stews the leaves or stems of 
wayside plants still abundant everywhere, though we do not think 
of eating them. Then as regards fruit, beside the common berries 
of the woods, people had wild Apples, Pears, and Cherries. Near 
Fulham, for instance, a place well known in this century by its 
orchards, there were in early times many Apple trees growing 
amongst the Willows on land just above the marshes ; Crabs, small 
and sour no doubt, but they served for food, raw or cooked. 
Herbs, to be used as flavours or medicinally, were cultivated in 
gardens attached to the residences of the nobles or citizens, but 
ornamental gardening was as neglected during the Middle Ages of 
England as in the Saxon and Danish period ; the lack of refinement 
forbade any interest in the culture of flowers. It is a curious fact 
that of all Europeans the Dutch are believed to have been the 
pioneers in the art of gardening after the decline of the Roman 
Empire ; there is evidence that before the Crusades they had given 
attention to this subject, and sought out plants from other countries. 
Later in their history the ornamental details of their lace and 
linen manufactures would lead to the study of flowers; and it is 
