January 5, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
289 
THE CHISWICK CHRYSANTHE¬ 
MUM CONGRESS. 
I AM surprised to find that the Council'of the Royal 
Horticultural Society have determined to hold a con¬ 
gress in association with the Chrysanthemum, during 
the second week in November next. That seems to be 
a false move, and one distinctly predestined to failure. 
In the first place the society never has done anything 
to promote the interest of the Chrysanthemum beyond 
granting some^Certificates of Merit now and then. In 
the second place, the existence of the National Chrysan¬ 
themum Society is a standing protest against the 
neglect the Royal Horticultural Society has shown 
towards the Chrysanthemum, whilst it is also popular 
evidence of the fact that naturally it is recognised as 
the chief and most fitting promoter of the interests of 
the Chrysanthemum. 
It is a Chrysanthemum society pure and simple, 
practically created because of the wondrous popularity 
of the flower, and of the demand of growers everywhere 
for some such nationally representative society. With 
such a body in existence, and one fully and actively 
alive to the welfare of the Chrysanthemum, why 
should the Royal Horticultural Society wish to inter¬ 
pose its little conference next winter just at the time 
when the great National Show will be held ? That 
Chrysanthemum growers of every class will just then 
be fully occupied with the annual shows there can be 
no doubt ; indeed, the date fixed for the show is not 
only the date of the Kingston Show, but must conflict 
with scores of others, so that the proposal is not only 
uncalled for but is absurd. 
Does the Royal Horticultural Society wish if possible 
to take the wind out of the sails of the proposed 
National Centenary Celebration ; as this little Chiswick 
affair is, I notice, designated with the appellation of Cen¬ 
tenary Conference ? To assume that any representative 
Centenary Conference of the Chrysanthemum can be 
held at Chiswick right in the midst of myriads of the 
ordinary exhibitions is ridiculous. If the Council 
chose to fix a meeting of the committee at Chiswick 
for the 12th of November all well and good, but to 
arrange for a conference worthy of the object is fore¬ 
doomed to failure. —Leo. 
-- 
A TRIAL OP PEAS IN 1888. 
I am one of those who think that everyone should try 
and prove what sorts of vegetables suit their soil and 
situation before recommending them to their friends, 
and also give them more than one season’s trial before 
saying this, that, or the other is the best. I believe that 
we can all grow Peas to perfection if we try, but in 
some soils more trouble and care is required than in 
others to do them well. No doubt the very best way 
is to trench the land from 2J ft. to 3 fc. deep, putting 
in plenty of good manure the previous autumn, and 
leaving the surface as rough as possible. Should the 
subsoil not be good enough to bring to the surface, the 
best plan is to break it up, leave it in the bottom of the 
trench, and add some manure ; this will give from 6 
ins. to 9 ins. more depth of soil, and there is nothing 
that Peas like better than a rich deep soil. Of course, 
the time of sowing much depends upon circumstances, 
but most people like a dish of peas as soon as they can 
get them, and gardeners, as a rule, try to get them as 
early as possible, each one to beat his neighbour, and 
if only a day’s march is stolen, the grower is well 
pleased. 
As to varieties, well, we shall soon have the new 
catalogues and new Peas beyond number. Some of 
these we know nothing about, but I can say this, that 
many of the later introductions will not stand com¬ 
parison with the old ones ; still, grand improvements 
have been made, and made in the proper way. This 
fact notwithstanding, many sorts are put upon the 
market before being adequately proved that they are 
improvements, and it would be a boon if all vegetables 
or fruits were properly tested by the Royal Horticultural 
Society before being put into commerce. The varieties 
sown on March 13th—not early, but early enough, 
for my purpose, were:— 
Alpha (Laxton’s). A very fair early Pea, which 
gave good satisfaction, and which I think may be 
depended upon as a good general early variety. 
American Wonder. Truly a gem for small gardens 
and a fine variety for growing in about 3-ft. beds, with 
a few sticks stuck in amongst them to keep them up. 
In this way they are very productive, and the pods can 
be gathered without treading the plants down. This I 
consider a first-class variety which should be largely 
grown. 
Earliest of All and William the First are very 
good varieties for early sowing, but not over heavy 
croppers with me. 
Dr. Hogg. A splendid green wrinkled early sort, 
and one that bears a very fair crop and grows tolerably 
strong. 
Lightning (Carter’s). A small white Pea, coming 
in very quickly, and an abundant cropper. 
Dr. McLean. Still a grand wrinkled marrow of 
fine flavour, with well-filled pods, and growing 3J ft. 
high. This is a variety that should be largely grown. 
Pride of the Market (Carter’s). A splendid sort 
for market purposes, being a heavy cropper and yielding 
long pods well filled with fine large green peas. It is a 
strong grower and requires to be planted thinly. 
Dignity (Eekford). A grand main crop wrinkled 
marrow ; a very strong grower and a heavy bearer of 
stout pods, with from six to eight peas in each, and of 
splendid flavour ; should be grown by exhibitors. 
Pea : Veitch’s Autocrat. 
Magnificent (Eekford). A variety of robust habit, 
growing about 5 ft. high, and a heavy cropper. It is 
rather light in the colour of the foliage and the peas, 
but the flavour is delicious ; a fine table Pea and one 
that would pay for market work. 
British Lion (Laxton). Grows about 4 ft. high, is 
a good cropper and worthy of a place in every garden. 
It makes a good companion to Magnificent. 
Victor. A good strong-growing, splendid-bearing, 
and fine-flavoured variety. 
Sutton’s Matchless Marrow. A fine variety 
with long pods, well filled with splendid peas, sweet 
and delicious in flavour. Will prove a grand exhibi¬ 
tion Pea, growing about 3 ft. 6 ins. high. 
Sutton’s Main Crop Marrow, 4 ft. high. A 
grand Pea for market use, being a heavy cropper, and 
yielding long well-filled pods. A strong robust grower, 
and requires good sticks to support the heavy foliage. 
Sutton’s Dwarf Mammoth. Very large, and of 
fine flavour ; a strong grower, and requires planting 
thinly, and to be supplied with good stout sticks. It 
grew about 3 ft. 6 ins. high last season. A grand 
addition to the dwarf section. 
Autocrat (Veitch). In my opinion, this is without 
doubt the finest of all the recent introductions. I can 
with confidence say that I never before saw two such 
grand rows of Peas as I had of this. One row 14 yards 
long was first gathered from on the 3rd of July, and we 
continued picking till the end of September. The 
other row, 21 yards long, was saved for seed, and it 
was a picture, the pods hanging from top to bottom in 
pairs. It grew with me 5 ft. high, with heavy 
foliage, and bore long well-filled pods with nine or ten 
peas in each, of a beautiful dark green colour, and of 
the flavour of the old Ne Plus Ultra ; I would recom¬ 
mend everyone to try this kind. I believe 4 ft. to be 
about the average height, but last season being wet, it 
grew rather higher. 
Prince of Wales is another very useful Pea, 
growing about 3 ft. to 4 ft. high. A good cropper, 
and a fine-looking white Marrow. 
Duke of Albany. A grand exhibition Pea, and 
I think one of the best of our new varieties. 
Telegraph and Telephone did remarkably well 
with me, and the old 
Champion of England still holds a place amongst 
mid-season varieties. 
Stratagem came in for a good share of praise as a 
useful dwarf Pea, and it may be relied upon for a 
splendid crop on any good land. It grows about 2 ft. 
high, and requires sticks. 
Ne Plus Ultra is still a grand old favourite with 
me, and continues to hold its own with some of the 
longer-podded varieties. On the exhibition table and 
for flavour it is not to be surpassed. 
Early Bird (Burbury).—Of all the varieties of 
early Peas I have grown as yet, I have not found one to 
beat this. It was early, prolific, strong-growing, and 
of fine flavour, and I intend growing it largely this 
year. 
The opinions I have given above I state from my 
experience of the varieties in my own garden, and I 
would add that anyone giving either of them a trial 
should sow thinly in the rows, and allow a good 
distance between them. I sow in rows 5 ft. to 6 ft. 
apart, and the Peas in broad drills 2 ins. from seed to 
seed. Some of the new sorts came up badly last year, 
but through their strong branching habits, I had some 
splendid rows of Peas after all, and was well paid for 
allowing them to remain, although at one time I was 
very much disheartened with so many blanks. My 
advice is to sow Marrowfat Peas very near the surface if 
the land is at all wet, for last year I found that many 
of them split open after swelling to a good size, and 
then quickly decayed .—Joseph Lane, Falgrave, Biss. 
-- 
TIMBER PRICES. 
The prices of home timber have not increased during 
the past year ; indeed, if anything, they still show a 
downward tendency. This is a matter that is much 
to be regretted, for the quantities of excellent timber 
that are lying about on many an English and Scotch 
estate, and that cannot be disposed of even at a very 
low figure, are quite unprecedented. Firewood is in no 
greater demand ; indeed, with all home forest produce 
the prices are so low that it is with difficulty that one 
can pay for the cost of labour entailed in cutting and 
converting. 
Landowners, in very many instances at least, can 
hardly be persuaded to form new plantations, unless 
they be for the express purpose of shelter or ornament 
to the estate. 'Why such a state of matters exists 
has more than once been asked, but all to no purpose, 
for the reason, although palpably evident, is not wished 
to be known by certain classes of persons, who are, or 
rather should be most interested in the matter. The 
plain fact is this: on almost every estate in the country, 
foreign wood is used exclusively, and our home produce 
is either sold at a ruinously low rate or allowed to rot 
in the woodland. The architect and joiner will not go to 
the trouble to convert our home-grown wood, be it ever 
so good, foreign battens being of the size, and scant¬ 
ling cut ready for immediate use. 
Not for one moment do I wish it to be understood 
that home-grown wood is to be preferred for all uses on 
an estate, but that there are ways in which it may 
well be employed is evident to every forester in the land. 
If estate owners or their agents would give orders that 
home-grown timber was to be used wherever it possibly 
could be, the price would rise considerably, and another 
good would be brought about by land-owners planting 
extensively, and so giving employment to hundreds of 
men, where not a dozen can find a job at present.— 
A. D. JFebster. 
