August 9, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
773 
which grows from 12 ins. to 18 ins. high, bearing 
broad pods 3 ins. to 4 ins. in length. Another, about 
12 ins. high, bears pods about twice the size of those of 
American Wonder or even larger, and the seeds are 
now quite ripe, so that it combines the earliness of 
American Wonder with the size of later and choicer 
kinds. Another cross between American Wonder and 
Paragon has given rise to a variety 3| ft. to 4 ft., with 
pods twice the size of Ringleader and as early. The 
latter is used by many, as is well known, as a first 
crop. Another from the same cross grows to a height 
of 2 ft. or 2| ft., and has green wrinkled peas. Both 
are now ripe, and will be sent out next year. 
The dwarfness of many kinds on the soil here is to 
be noted. Sutton’s Perfect Gem is only 2 ft. high, 
while Satisfaction and Marrow Fat are no higher. 
Satisfaction has large sweet peas, and was still fit for 
use, although sown with the others on the 10th of 
April. Marrow Fat is a blue wrinkled kind, with pods 
3 ins. to 3| ins. long, and is very fruitful. President 
Garfield varies from 18 ins. to 24 ins. in height, and 
the pods, which are very full, are 3 ins. long. The 
seeds are white and wrinkled. Windsor Castle and 
Perfection were both selections from the seedlings of 
one cross, and neither of them exceed 2 ft. in height 
in the soil at Reading. The pods are large in each 
case, and contain from eight to nine peas, which are 
large and sweet, but Windsor Castle has pale green 
pods and peas, while those of Perfection are dark 
green. Reading Giant is a tall-growing variety about 
6 ft. high, even in light soil. The pods are about 3 ins. 
long, and contain six to eight peas each. 
Peculiarly interesting was a trial of between 100 and 
150 unnamed kinds, the produce of different crosses. 
The best from amongst them are picked out and grown 
on again, including those which show some salient 
feature as to size of pod, fruitfulness, dwarfness or 
earliness. Some of the seedlings in question have 
long, narrow, slightly-curved pods, 3 ins. to 4 ins. 
long, and containing about nine peas, while the haulm 
is only 2 ft. high. Others have stout, well-filled pods, 
and a third kind would have inflated pods, but these 
are less numerous. Many of them vary from 18 ins. 
to 2 ft. high, and are very prolific, while Duke of 
Albany, an older favourite, runs up 5 ft. high in the 
same soil. Others again, equally prolific, attain a 
height of 3 ft. In heavy, rich soils, however, they 
would no doubt be somewhat taller. 
-- >X - t -- 
ROSES IN JULY. 
We may he said to be in the decline of the Rose 
shows. The modern “ Wars of the Roses ” have 
come to a close with July, although a great many 
very fine blooms are produced in competition during 
August, and up to the middle of September. But they 
are never so fine and striking as during July, for it is 
during that month that we see the exhibition Rose in 
all its pride and beauty. When July closes, and the 
shortening of the days is sensibly felt, mildew sets in, 
the flowers are smaller, lacking that boldness and 
finish, and in very many cases the lustre of the early 
blooms. At the same time it is satisfactory to know 
there is always a great supply of late summer and 
autumnal Roses, the Tea-scented varieties being of great 
value for decoration, though with a few conspicuous 
exceptions they lack the size and fullness of the July 
bloomers. 
What a summer it has been for the red Roses! They 
have been shown brilliant in the extreme. I have felt 
gratified in seeing the old Senateur Yaisse coming to the 
front during the past month, as fine in quality as when 
it took the Rose world by storm thirty or so years ago ; 
and a few more varieties that it was supposed had gone 
out of cultivation for exhibition purposes—such for 
instance as General Jacqueminot—have been surpass¬ 
ingly fine. 
The finest Roses of the season, as far as my note 
book furnished me with the record, are—H.P.’s : Abel 
Carriere, Alfred Colomb, superbly fine at Manchester ; 
A. K. Williams, with that fiery-coloured imbricated 
form which stamps it with so much individuality of 
character ; Auguste Rigotard, Baroness Rothschild, 
ever welcome on account of its beautiful soft colour ; 
Beauty of Waltham, Camille Bernardin, Charles 
Lefebvre, the value of which as a variety is shown from 
the fact that it is known under two or three other 
names ; Comte Raimbaud, Duchess of Bedford, Due de 
Rohan, Dupuy Jamain, Earl of Dufferin, E. Y. Teas, 
Francois Michelon, General Jacqueminot, Her Majesty, 
shown very fine indeed late in the season ; Horace 
Vernet, John Stuart Mill, La France, Lady Helen 
Stewart, Lady Maiy Fitzwilliam, Lord Bacon, Louis 
Van Houtte, Madame Eugene Verdier, Madame 
Hippolyte Jamain, Madame Victor Verdier, Magna 
Charta, Marie Baumann, one of those constant and 
useful Roses that seem9 destined to live for ever ; 
Marie Verdier, Marshal P. Wilder, a new American 
Rose, like a light-coloured Alfred Colomb, very fine in 
shape, and which I saw superbly shown on two or three 
occasions; Merveille de Lyon, Mrs. John Laing, a 
lovely exhibition Rose ; Pitord, Pride of Waltham, 
Rosieriste Jacobs, Senateur .Vaisse, Star of Waltham, 
Thomas Mills, Ulrich Brunner, very constant ; Victor 
Hugo, Violette Bouyer, and Xavier Olibo. 
Among the new Roses of 1888-89, I find only one 
that seems destined to find a place among the leading 
exhibition varieties—I mean Sir Rowland Hill, which 
is of a blackish maroon colour, taking on quite a purple 
glow, large, full and well built, a conspicuous exhi¬ 
bition Rose when caught in good character. 
Among the Bourbon Roses mention must be made 
of Madame Isaac Pereire, a charming light carmine- 
coloured variety that makes an excellent exhibition 
flower. 
Of the Dijon or climbing Tea Roses, as they are 
termed, mention must be made of Belle Lyonnaise, 
Gloire de Dijon, and Madame Berard, as having been 
finely shown this season. 
Of the Tea-scented varieties, Anna Olivier, Caroline 
Kuster, Catherine Mermet, Comtesse de Nadaillac, 
David Pradel, Devoniensis, Francisca Kruger, Hon. 
Edith Gifford, Innocente Pirola, Jean Ducher, Jules 
Finger, La Boule d’Or, Madame Cusin, Madame Hippo¬ 
lyte Jamain, Madame Lambard, Madame Willermoz, 
Madame de Watteville, Madame Welch, Marie Van 
Houtte, Niphetos, Perle des Jardins, Princess of Wales, 
Nemophila Menziesii discoidalis. 
Souvenir de Paul Neron, a variety which I saw at 
Manchester so deeply suffused with rose as to look as if 
a Hybrid Perpetual had found its way into the stands 
of Tea-scented Roses by mistake ; Souvenir de Victor 
Hugo and the Bride. 
I must not be understood as giving a selection 
merely: I am putting down the names of the Roses I 
saw finely shown during June and July, and I think 
my list may be accepted as containing varieties which 
are the best Roses that can be grown for any purpose. 
— R. D. 
-~>X<--- 
NEMOPHILA MENZIESII 
DISCOIDALIS. 
The flowers of this beautiful garden variety are smaller 
than those of N. insignis, and considerably smaller 
than N. maculata, but their characters are well marked 
and distinct, as may be seen by reference to our 
illustration. The flowers of the type are white or light 
blue, more or less marked with dark spots ; those of 
the variety are dark brownish purple with a white 
margin. In the catalogue of nurserymen the type is 
generally mentioned under the name of N. atomaria, 
while the variety under notice is simply named N. 
discoidalis. Like the other species under cultivation, 
that under notice is an annual of procumbent habit, with 
slender leafy stems. The leaves are pinnatifid and 
more deeply divided than those on the upper part of 
the plant, as shown in the accompanying figure. As the 
stems lengthen, fresh flowers are given off from the 
axils of the leaves, and if the plants are not crowded, 
they continue to flower all through the summer months. 
FRUIT CROPS IN DORSET. 
Two months of wet, cold and sunless weather have been 
most unfavourable for the swelling and ripening of out¬ 
door fruits. The low mean temperature ranging from 
52° to 54°, with incessant rains, have prevented the full 
development of fruit and flowers. Tender bedding 
plants, and even vegetables, have suffered a severe 
check. "VVe have not had such a cold and wet summer 
since 1879, which was a similar season. 
Apples are hardly half a crop, and the trees are 
much blighted. The fruit we have got is from such 
hardy and free-bearing varieties as Hawthornden, 
Stirling Castle, Ecklinville Seedling, Lemon Pippin, 
Keswick Codlin, but the fruit is small, and unless the 
weather soon changes must be imperfectly ripened. 
Pears are also very scarce. Trees look stunted, and in 
some of the tender varieties (on espaliers), such as 
Brown Beurre, Beurre Magnifique, and Gansel’s 
Bergamot, are cracked with continued cold nights and 
soakings of rain, while hardy sorts, such as Vicar of 
Winkfield, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louise, 
Williams’ Bon Chretien, Winter Nelis, &c. look better. 
Plums are a failure both here and in the neighbourhood. 
Peaches and Nectarines are not grown here outside, 
but in some neighbouring gardens they seem to he 
bearing average crops, especially where the blossom had 
been protected. Apricots do not thrive long on our 
chalk sub-soil, but this year the trees look more 
healthy and are bearing a thin crop. Cherries also 
dislike our soil, and consequently few are grown, and 
those are chiefly Morello, which are only a thin crop, 
and have suffered much from the ravages of the black- 
fly. Bush fruits, Currants, Gooseberries, and Rasp¬ 
berries are a lair average crop and free from caterpillars. 
Strawberries have been abundant, lasting from the 
beginning of June to the end of July, but they have 
been wanting in flavour, and many of them were spoilt 
by rain. I grow eight or nine sorts—viz., King of the 
Earlies (for early use), Vicomtesse Hericarte de Thury. 
Keen’s Seedling, La Grosse Sucree, Sir Charles Napier, 
Sir Joseph Paxton, Laxton’s Noble, and President, the 
last being the most profitable Strawberry that I know. 
It is true that the flavour is inferior to a few others, 
such as British Queen, Dr. Hogg, <xc., but it is 
fairly good, and taking its combined good qualities of 
size, form, and colour, a strong grower and a free 
bearer, I have not found any to equal it, and I intend 
to stick to it till I find a better. Of course, I have 
not had sufficient experience of some of the new sorts 
to report upon them. Walnuts and Filberts are 
plentiful.— P. Davidson, The Gardens, Iwerne Minster, 
Blandford, Dorset. 
-->-X<—- 
GARDENING NOTES FROM 
SYDNEY. 
Eakly in August our next exhibition occurs, and the 
principal flower represented will be the Camellia, which 
does grandly in this locality, and is justly designated 
“everybody’s flower.” The leading nurserymen possess 
excellent collections of varieties of the Camellia, and 
practise layering with remarkable success, consequently 
we find the shrub growing in every garden, great or 
small. We expect, therefore, to see some very fine 
blooms staged, but we do not quite expect to make the 
exhibition so decidedly successful as the one held in 
connection with the Chrysanthemum elsewhere alluded 
to (p. 760). In fact, it will be what is termed a side 
show, at which many other interesting flowers will be 
available for exhibition. The Narcissus, Bouvardias, 
Pansies, Anemones, &c., assist the Camellia to make 
a bright and pretty, though possibly limited, display. 
Roses also will be present—we are never without a few 
in the open here—and Violets will be in force, prizes 
being offered for select varieties (twenty-five in a 
bunch), and also for the largest bunch in the show. 
One thing only is necessary to make it a very enjoyable 
affair—fine weather—and this we certainly ought to 
have, if only to balance matters a little. 
That magnificent reserve, “The Centennial Park,” 
is fast approaching completion, and in a few years 
hence will be, without doubt, one of the finest public 
parks in the southern hemisphere. Extending over an 
area of more than a square mile, it has been a difficult 
and laborious undertaking, as you will easily perceive 
when I tell you that more than £150,000 have been 
up to the present expended upon it. A very large 
portion consisted of swamp, and many dams have had 
to be constructed at great expenditure for labour ; but 
when complete no one will regret the cost, for this park, 
with its many beautiful sheets of clear water, will 
certainly be admired and appreciated by generations 
