6 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 7, 1889. 
The Canadian Poplar. 
Populus canadensis and its variety, P. c. nova, are 
excellent trees for planting in smoky localities. The 
former succeeds admirably in the very centre of Sheffield, 
in the old parish churchyard, and where for hundreds 
of yards away not a particle of living vegetation is to 
be seen ; a few gaunt, dead sticks on the smoky side 
alone indicating where once grew a Sycamore, a Chest¬ 
nut, or, it may be, a Plane. 
The variety nova is a very superior tree for street 
planting, it being far more ornamental and of more 
rapid growth than the Black Italian, and equally 
reliable for retaining a healthy and flourishing condi¬ 
tion under the adverse conditions connected with a 
town atmosphere. How well it succeeds may be seen 
in the beautiful avenue that was formed of it and the 
Oriental Plane some years ago at Wimbledon Park.— 
A. D. Webster. 
-- X&c -- 
INCENTIVES TO STUDY. 
I was very much interested in reading the remarks on 
the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens, and the interest taken 
in his students and the public by Professor Bayley 
Balfour. My object in writing this is to bring 
under the notice of head gardeners—and curators in 
public gardens more especially—who take an interest 
in their pupils, a way in which they could encourage 
them to take an interest in their studies. How there 
are other botanic gardens, along with the Edinburgh 
one, where the curator lectures to his pupils on some 
fixed day in the week ; but must it not be very dis¬ 
appointing and disheartening to him to find that after 
all his trouble the result is almost nil ? I know myself, 
where, to encourage the men to improve themselves 
prizes have been offered for competition, but they proved 
a failure and had to be dropped, two or three only 
competing, where there should have been nearer a 
dozen. 
How the plan I propose is this : say for instance 
that there are five young men in a garden bothy with 
pay ranging from 14s. to 20s. per week, there is occa¬ 
sionally some one of the men leaving, and generally the 
next man to him gets his place. How to those who 
take a real interest in, and who wish to see their men 
improving themselves and competing with one another, 
I would suggest that instead of promoting them as 
their turn came, to alter that entirely, and fill all 
vacant places by competition. If this plan were 
adopted, it would at once show the men that unless 
they work they have a bad chance of winning, and 
the best places would then be sure to be given to the 
fittest, and those who deserved them most. The 
results of his labour would also be seen by the lecturer, 
and he would know the individual worth of each and 
every man under him. 
On the present system the worst man is often found 
in the best place, and few take any extra interest to 
improve themselves, for each know that they will get 
the best place as their turn comes, without any effort 
whatever on their own part. Under the competition 
system too, another incentive to study would arise, 
through older men not wishing to see younger but 
more ambitious ones getting ahead of them in the race 
Of course, the subjects for examination would have to 
be chosen by the examiner, but I would propose 
questions touching on the lectures given through the 
year, and reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, and 
geography. Should this happen to catch the eye of 
any of those readers who might take an interest 
in the subject, I am sure their opinions would 
interest many of your readers as well as the writer. 
— W. N. Fdloxos. 
-- 
FIRST QUALITY PEAS. 
From our Huddersfield correspondent, Mr. Lockwood, 
we have received samples of seven distinct and high 
quality Peas, and although they were, as he said, 
somewhat past their best, that is, beyond the period at 
which Peas should be tested with regard to their 
quality for use in the green state, yet they were 
sufficient to show that they are possessed of considerable 
merit both for home use or for exhibition purposes. 
The pods of The Duchess measured from 4 ins. to 5 ins. 
in length, and some of them were f in. in thickness, 
closely packed with nine or ten large peas, and full to 
the very tip. The stems grow about 4| ft. in height. 
Another kind named Prodigy grows to a height of 5| 
ft., and the pods sent were only a trifle smaller than 
those of The Duchess. They were, however, of a 
deeper green, being evidently somewhat younger, and 
contained from seven to nine peas of great size. Our 
correspondent considers this a variety of great merit. 
Dignity is another sort that bears large succulent¬ 
looking, inflated pods of a paler green than those above 
mentioned, and reminding us of Telegraph. The stems 
attain a height of 5 ft., and it is, like those above men¬ 
tioned, an excellent mid-season or main crop Pea. 
The pods contained seven or eight large peas, each of 
wonderful size ; and all the samples sent were even 
and good. 
The pods of Superiority measured about 4J ins. in 
length, each containing about seven peas. The quality 
was by no means bad, but the variety is said to be an un¬ 
desirable one on account of its tall and rather coarse 
growth, as the stems measured some 9 ft. in height. 
The pods are laterally a good deal flattened or com¬ 
pressed, presenting quite a different appearance from 
the rest, but they were scarcely so well filled. The 
Don is said to be an improved form of He Plus Ultra, 
and certainly the pods are larger, measuring from 
3| ins. to 4 ins., and were well packed with six or eight 
large peas to the very tip. They were too far advanced 
to judge of their sweetness, but seemed of good quality, 
and were still quite fit for use. He Plus Ultra was in 
as good a condition as any, the pods measuring from 
3 ins. to 3J ins., and containing six or eight peas each, 
still quite sweet and of wonderful flavour. They are 
somewhat flattened, but very full and of a rich dark 
green colour. Bruce Findlay our correspondent con¬ 
siders as synonymous with He Plus Ultra, and we 
should be much of the same opinion, as the pods were 
of the same length and shape, but being evidently 
older, were of a paler green. They were also equally 
well filled, containing from six to eight peas of large 
size when compared with the pod bearing them, and 
which was packed to the tip. The two latter are rather 
short for exhibition purposes, but for home use are 
excellent. 
-- 
M. GROUSSE’S NEW DOUBLE 
BEGONIAS. 
I am inclined to doubt if the novelties of 1889 will be 
found equal to those sent out in 1888. Of those 
bloomed here Miss White is decidedly the best—a fine 
yellow of upright habit. This will be an acquisition. 
Madame Pfitzer is a pale yellow, also of upright habit, 
and with finely-formed flowers, but hardly superior to 
Sceptre d’Or (1888) except perhaps in habit, while the 
colour seems to me decidedly paler. Triomphe de 
Haney is only just expanding here, but promises well. 
M. Crousse tells us it is like a straw-coloured Tea Bose, 
and measures 15 centimeters in diameter—we wait to 
see. These yellows are all on upright stems, and not 
being heavy, require little or no support. 
I was disappointed in Alice Crousse, a rosy salmon, 
and also in Docteur Feltz, described as a deep red. 
With us these varieties have been somewhat poor and 
thin, but we shall give them anothertrial. M. Cantrelle, 
deep carmine-rose, and Dorethee Bose, creamy white, I 
have never seen, but taking the lot as a whole, they 
will scarcely surpass the quartette of 1888—viz., Lucy 
Closon, Sceptre d’Or, Melanie Soupert and Mrs. French. 
This last (sulphur-white) I take to be one of the most 
beautiful varieties ever introduced. 
Since writing the above I find that Madame Pfitzer 
has greatly improved during the last few days. It is 
an improvement on Sceptre d'Or, and the habit is 
unsurpassed. —Somersetshire Rector. 
-- >x< -- 
TOMATOS AT CHISWICK. 
Under Glass. 
There are several houses in the gardens of the Boyal 
Horticultural Society, at Chiswick, in which Tomatos 
are grown to a greater or less extent, according to 
convenience and the space at command ; but the old 
orchard house is specially set apart for them, and those 
who would like to see something iu the way of Tomato 
culture could] not do better than see this house for 
themselves. The Tomatos are planted in lines 
throughout the length of the house, and range from 
4 ft to 10 ft. high, according to the time of planting. 
The house is kept cool and airy, the plants are healthy, 
and there is no evidence of disease, with the exception 
of an occasional instance of the black spot. To go 
through the house seems like walking in a forest of 
young trees laden with fruits to the ground, a great 
quantity of which, however, have been gathered. 
We noted some eighteen varieties in the house, but 
the two large central beds are chiefly occupied by 
Perfection and Ham Green Favourite. They are allied 
and first-class kinds, but quite distinct. The former 
has stems about 8 ft. high, and deep green flat leaves, 
whereas the stems of Ham Green Favourite, on the 
opposite side of the central path, are 10 ft. high, and 
the leaves for 4 ft. are very much curled as if dried up. 
There are several varieties that exhibit this peculiar 
character, whether grown under glass or out of doors. 
Some of the larger fruits of Perfection weigh a pound. 
Another favourite at Chiswick is Horsefield’s Prelude, 
a small, globose, scarlet fruit, borne in large bunches 
from the base to the top of the tall stems. The new 
variety, Chiswick Hybrid, is also grown in some 
quantity, and being a cross between Horsefield’s Prelude 
and Perfection, it partakes of the prolific and free- 
setting qualities of the former, while it derives its greatly 
increased and suitable size from the latter. The fruit 
is deeply globose, bright scarlet and of good quality. 
Advancer is also grown in some quantity, and has 
globose fruits, or the larger ones are corrugated at the 
base, and somewhat flattened. Hackwood Park, is a 
great favourite with some growers, and bears scarlet, 
often very large fruits, when they lose in appearance 
by becoming lobed. The stems run up 8 ft. or 10 ft., 
but the fruits are very few above 4 ft. 
The other varieties are grown in smaller quantity, 
but planted out under the same conditions, and afford 
a means of testing their fruiting capabilities and other 
qualities compared with the more popular and well-tested 
kinds. A heavily-fruiting sort is Tennis Ball, with 
large bunches of medium-sized, globose, scarlet fruits. 
In habit it may be compared with Horsefield’s Prelude. 
King Humbert, with medium-sized, oblong, scarlet 
fruits, may almost be mentioned in the same breath 
for vigour and fertility, the stems being 8 ft. or 10 ft. 
high, and well fruited till near the top. The flavour, 
however, is not first class, and the fruits sometimes 
exhibit yellow blotches on the skin that spoils their 
general appearance. In this instance, however, we 
noticed very little of this. The fruits of Paragon are 
globose, scarlet, smooth, and of medium or large size, 
but the crop is only moderately heavy. 
Besides Perfection and Hackwood Park, already 
mentioned, there are several others that may be noted 
for the large size of their fruits—namely, President 
Cleveland, Trophy, The Hovey, and Hisbet’s Victoria. 
The first is especially notable in this respect, but then 
the number of fruits on a plant are comparatively few, 
and its great size when brought to table is often an 
inconvenience than otherwise, particularly in refresh¬ 
ment houses, because there is no dividing of a pound 
and a single Tomato would consequently be considered 
expensive. "When well grown, Trophy has the same 
fault as the last; the larger fruits in both cases are 
more or less lobed or irregularly corrugated and flat¬ 
tened. The Hovey varies from medium to large size, 
smooth, and scarlet; but the crop is only moderately 
heavy. Hisbet’s F ictoria is also liable to be corrugated, 
and coarse when it attains a large size. The leaves, 
however, are deep green, flat, and fresher in appearance 
than those of Surpassee growing alongside of it, and 
which are very much curled, showing the pale under 
surface. 
The four remaining kinds differ in colour from all 
of the above, which are scarlet. The only red variety 
in this house is The Peach, and that is grown in pots. 
The fruits are of small size, globose, densely and finely 
downy like a Peach, and when fully matured assume a 
peculiar livid red colour similar to Acme, Dedham 
Favourite, and others of that class, the colour of which 
is very much disliked by the British public, when the 
fruits are exposed for sale in the open market. It is a 
free-fruiting variety, and certainly very distinct in all 
stages, but the quality is not very good. Three yellow- 
fruited kinds are Golden Queen, Blenheim Orange, and 
Prince of Orange. The latter has yellow fruits, often 
corrugated and flattened when they attain a large size. 
Blenheim Orange is somewhat similar, but the fruits 
often assume an orange tint when well exposed to 
sunlight. A fairly good crop is borne by Golden 
Queen, and from what we could see of ripe fruits, they 
are bright yellow, more or less flattened, and corru¬ 
gated at the base only. Some of the yellows in 
cultivation are almost worthless from the amount of 
corrugation, the fruits being excessively thin, flattened, 
and thrown into numerous deep furrows and ridges. 
On a South Border. 
Many of the above mentioned kinds are also grown on 
a border about 10 ft. to 12 ft. wide, and iu front of a 
south aspect wall. Despite the unfavourable nature of 
the season generally, and the want of sunshine, many 
of the kinds are bearing excellent crops. The plants 
have been pruned to single stems, trained to stakes, 
and topped when about 3 ft. high. Some of the earliest 
are commencing to ripen, but unless we get a sunny 
autumn they can hardly be expected to come on rapidly. 
Amongst those bearing heavy crops under these con- 
