166 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
t March S, 1887. 
will be seen that on its object being fully understood and evidence 
given in a substantial form that the gardeners of this country are de¬ 
termined to carry out the idea, every nobleman and gentleman in the laud 
will give it generous support, for are not these patrons reminded of the 
services the gardener renders when night after night the beautiful 
productions of the floral world are grouped upon the dinner table ? 
Will they not also admit the justice of the appeal when they remember 
that to produce these flowers and those charming combinations many a 
gardener has sown the seeds of consumption, and has been cut off in the 
prime of manhood from his health being undermined by the sudd -11 
transition from one extreme of temperature to another ? 
As Mr. Penny says, “ He gives twice who gives quickly,” and I hope 
to see that the gardeners of England will take the matter up in a spirited 
manner, and not only announce themselves as annual subscribers, but 
will also, where possible, allow their names to be attached to a com¬ 
mittee, which should be formed at once to carry out the project in the 
best possible manner. I may also suggest the desirability of your allow¬ 
ing your columns to be occupied in publishing the list of subscriptions, 
that the greatest publicity may be at once given to it, and to assist Mr. 
Penny, who probably up to this time has not been able to formulate his 
plans. 
I would, therefore, suggest that you announce that you are prepared 
to receive subscriptions toward the object, and that they shall be acknow¬ 
ledged weekly in your paper, as I hope to see done also in other garden¬ 
ing journals, and I feel sure this proposition will meet Mr. Penny’s 
wishes, as well as the wish of all gardeners who are interested in the 
movement. 
If you start a list I shall be glad to support my appeal by becoming 
the subscriber of 21s. annually.—C. H. S. 
I wish Mr. Penny all the success possible in his endeavour to raise a 
home for these bereaved ones, the most fitting memorial for this year 
of jubilee. May I suggest that every gardener should have a strong 
appeal sent to him to become an annual subscriber, and also urged to 
lay the. matter before his employer ? and if each master could be urged 
to give at least 1 guinea as a donation to start with and a yearly sub¬ 
scription of not less than 5s., what a blessing would be conferred upon a 
class of men who as a body are very good and intelligent, and when 
attentive to their duties afford us who are engaged in the struggle of 
life so large an amount of domestic pleasure by their productions. 
Kindly forward the enclosed.— Charles Hull. 
Surely there cannot be many gardeners worthy of the name who can 
do otherwise than meet Mr. Penny’s proposal to found an orphanage with 
a sympathetic response. The object is so thoroughly humane and 
Christian, and no doubt as necessary as it is humane, that one may 
suppose those who can offer any objections to it must be few in number. 
To advocate the desirability of an orphanage for the destitute children 
of gardeners is superfluous, and my chief object in writing is to suggest 
that the scheme should be worked in connection with the Gardeners’ 
Benevolent Institution, which has done so much good, and is now so 
stable as to form a good foundation or stock for the other branch of 
benevolence. I should dread any institution that might in any way 
weaken the power of the Benevolent Institution in ministering to the 
aged and destitute of our profession, and see no reason why this new 
scheme should have this effect. The funds could be kept distinct, and 
perhaps the same machinery might suffice to work both charities, and 
so save expense. I merely throw out this suggestion as being perhaps 
worthy of being considered by Mr. Penny and others interested in this 
very commendable Jubilee scheme.—D. Thomson, Drumlanrig. 
The proposed gardeners’ orphanage seems to me deserving of hearty 
support throughout the kingdom, and I am convinced that an adequate 
fund could soon be raised when the scheme assumes a definite form. I 
have forwarded imy name to the Editor of this Journal, and if 
authorised subscription forms are sent to me I will undertake to obtain 
£5 as a start.—A Gardener. 
Just as we are preparing for press we receive and 
insert the last letter of the above series. It is a short 
but suggestive letter, as if one gardener undertakes to 
collect the sum of £5, it may be surmised that many 
other gardeners similarly disposed might collect equal or 
larger sums—namely, from their friends who are in¬ 
terested in gardening, and who would be glad to have an 
opportunity of sharing in such a laudable work if sub¬ 
scription forms were placed before them. 
A SELECTION OF PEAS. 
I suppose we shall never see the last of those extra early round- 
seeded sorts, and which have only their eavliness to recommend them. 
A good selection of Sangster’s No. 1 such as grown by the farmers 
for supplying the London markets is yet fully equal to any of them, 
but there is no necessity to sow even this in private gardens. Either 
American Wonder or Chelsea Gem may be grown in rough frames, 
or at the foot of sunny walls and on warm borders for affording the 
earliest pickings, and these will be closely followed by the invalu. 
able William I. William II., a selection from the last-named, is 
nearly as robust and early, and superior in point of quality ; this should 
be given a trial. No second early sort of quite recent introduction 
can be said to equal either Telegraph or Telephone, and one of these 
should always be sown early in March. Stratagem,which grows to about 
half the height of Telephone, is also suitable for second early sowings, 
and on the whole this is yet one of the very best exhibition Peas avail¬ 
able up to the end of July. Criterion ought to be quite as popular 
as Ne Plus Ultra. It is usually fit for use in close succession to 
Telephone, attains a height of about 6 feet, crops heavily, the pods 
being comparatively small, but well filled with very green Peas of 
excellent flavour. Dr. McLean is not needed here, but for small 
gardens, or where no tall stakes are available, it may well be substi¬ 
tuted for Criterion. If the true stock of Hair’s Dwarf Mammoth 
can be obtained no better sort for either second early or late crops 
will be found for the owner of a small garden. Early Paragon 
appears to be very distinct, but with us was not particularly profit¬ 
able. 
Plenty of new main crop sorts are annually introduced, but as far 
as my experience goes ihose with sensational pods are failures. 
Prodigy is considered sufficiently good to deserve a second trial, and 
the same may be said of Sir E. Millbank. Duke of Albany, which 
may be described as a late form of Telegraph, is useful for exhibition 
purposes, but there are plenty of profitable older sorts. Gladi¬ 
ator is a capital Pea for small gardens, it being one of the heaviest 
croppers we have, and the pods fill well, the Peas, however, not being 
particularly sweet. Marvel, another fairly old 3-feet Pea, crops 
abundantly, and the Peas are sweet and tender. Those who have a 
weakness for the good old Champion of England should try Hunting- 
donian, this much resembling it, but is rather earlier, and scarcely so 
tall growing. Veitch’s Perfection does well in most gardens, but 
latterly we have failed with it both for main or late crops, and its 
place will be taken by Carter’s Anticipation. The latter ought to 
become very popular, especially among the proprietors of small 
gardens, as it only grows to about 3 feet in height, crops heavily, the 
pods fill well, and the quality ought to satisfy the most fastidious. 
Our “sheet anchors” for main and late crops are a very old and 
distinct variety long grown by Mr. D. Thomson at Drumlanrig—one 
of the most robust and free-bearing sorts in cultivation, and Ne Plus 
Ultra. The latter is usually classed as most suitable for late crops, 
and it would be a difficult matter to name a better for the latest 
supplies; but why not have it earlier, or say in July? We saw 
about six long rows of this variety, commencing about the middle of 
March, and a long succession of the best Pea in cultivation is thereby 
obtained. Omega, a dwarf form of Ne Plus Ultra, is suitable for 
small gardens, but is not worth bothering with if space can be 
afforded the latter. Sturdy, which only attains a height of 3 feet, is 
of branching habit, is not much liable to mildew, crops heavily, the 
pods being densely packed with tender sweet Peas. Laxton’s Walton 
Hero resisted mildew better than most sorts tried, and produces 
abundance of fine well-filled pods, the quality being first class. It is 
suitable for either main or late crops, as well as for exhibition. 
Laxton’s Charmer I like very much. It is not of a sensational cha¬ 
racter, but the pods plentifully produced are of a dark green hue, and 
closely packed with green ana fairly sweet Peas.—W. Iggulden. 
THE BULB MITE. 
Mr. C. Prinsep’s note is worthy of consideration, and I hope to 
give his spirit of tar method of eradicating this pest a trial. I have 
observed the presence of a mite in bonemeal, but the question 
arises whether it is the same as plays such ravages amongst our 
Eucharis and other bulbs. It may belong to the same family, 
which I believe is a very large one. I do not believe the cheese 
mite would attack bulbs, and it is very possible that the one found 
amongst bones would not do so either. Some entomologists might 
do us valuable service if they could clear up this matter. I am not 
very well versed in insects, and regret any knowledge of the 
disastrous work of Rhizoglyphus Echinopus. I am not aware that 
this variety or any of the family to which it belongs attacks 
Alocasias and Marantas ; such, however, is possible, but I have 
never seen these plants attacked at the roots by any insect pest. 
Since my first notes were penned the bulbs that were severely 
reduced in size by the removal of several scales, and cutting away 
the base, have commenced to root freely again. This was done 
when the bulbs were green, without drying them, which should be 
done to harden and ripen them before subjecting them to such a 
severe operation. A portion of the stock is now being dried. 
Those that have been done will in another week be cut up for 
examination, and if they are free of insects the information shall be 
conveyed to the readers of the Journal, and the whole of our stock 
will at onc-e be dried ready for cleaning by the method de- 
