August 4, 1894. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
773 
purposes. Once rooted in store pots or boxes, and 
they can st^nd upon shelves well away from other 
plants. Echeverias may have their offsets removed 
and stored in a similar manner ; in fact, there are a 
very large number of bedding subjects the primary 
stocks of which for 1895 should be taken during the 
present month. 
Turning to the herbaceous border, we find Pansies, 
Delphiniums, Phloxes, and many more which will 
well repay for a little early propagation. In case of 
the former, do not choose succulent cuttings, but 
lift the growth and select those thin pieces already 
bearing a few roots. Autumn struck Pansies give 
grand results the ensuing spring and summer. Cut 
down the Delphiniums and propagate the young 
suckers, or else encourage them to flower late in 
autumn.— P. 
MORE ABOUT PEAS. 
In a recent issue (p. 742) we gave some particulars 
of a Pea trial in the private garden at Buxted Park, 
and since then have had an opportunity of looking 
over a very large collection in Messrs. Hurst & Sons’ 
new trial ground near Kelvedon, Essex. Singularly 
interesting places are the trial grounds of the lead¬ 
ing seed houses at all times, and the new one at 
Kelvedon, need we say, is no exception to the rule, 
though only commenced about two years ago, and 
now getting into good working order. The new 
ground at Fearing is some eight acres in extent, lies 
high for the district, and has a gentle slope to the 
south. The soil is a good, strong loam, on a gravelly 
sub soil, and the situation is practically in the 
centre of perhaps the most important seed growing 
district in the country, a circumstance which adds 
greatly to the immense fund of interest which 
visitors on business thoughts intent find in such a 
place. The field, which is open to all the winds 
that blow, is used solely as a trial ground for flower, 
vegetable, and agricultural seeds, and with literally 
hundreds ot trials of all kinds going on at the same 
time, and conducted with the most scrupulous regard 
for the prevention of errors, at once provides the firm 
with a book of knowledge, which is of the utmost 
importance to them in the conduct of their immense 
business. As showing the vast amount of care that 
is taken to keep stocks true and to prevent anj thing 
of the nature of imposition, it may be mentioned 
that here are grown samples of every parcel of 
seeds that the firm buys and sells, and here all new 
introductions are tried and proved. In the case of 
agricultural seeds, similar trials are also conducted 
in other districts, and all this, it must be remem¬ 
bered, takes place after each sample has been tested 
elsewhere to discover the amount of freedom from 
foreign substances, and the germinating power of 
the seeds. 
The Peas grown for trial this year consist of a 
large number of varieties and some hundreds of 
samples representing the various stocks grown for 
the firm by wholesale growers, and were all sown on 
or about the same date, March 20th. All the 
varieties of which the characteristics are known 
are classified according to type in a m'^thodical and 
extremely convenient manner fo* facilitating com¬ 
parison. Each row bears a number, and the trial 
book records the date of sowing, flowering, slatting, 
and when ready for use, with a record of any 
peculiarities or characteristics that it is important 
for the seedsman to know. Thus the first break 
noticed comprised the early round white seeded 
varieties, of which Improved Sangsters, First and 
Best, and Lightning may be taken to be the leading 
types. They grow from 2J ft. to 3 ft. high, and 
earliness is their principal characteristic, though in 
this respect they are being hardly run now by the 
early and better flavoured wrinkled Marrows that 
have been introduced during tbe last few years. 
Next came a section of the old Sangsters No. i, a 
cheap Pea for field culture, growing 5 ft. high at 
least, and now more extensively grown for the 
French than for the English market. It bears many 
varietal names or synonyms, but is best known 
under the name given, or that of Daniel O’Rourke. 
William the First, a green, indented, round Pea, 
which came next in order, is still largely grown, but 
seems to have been badly treated in having its name 
associated with a good deal of rubbish at various 
times. The true stock as seen here, and Laxton’s 
Early William, appear to be one and the same thing. 
William the Conqueror, a blue round, with a dark 
green pod, is largely grown as a market field Pea, 
but is a week later than William the First. Accord¬ 
ing to this trial the earliest variety of this section is 
Harrison’s Glory, also known as Earliest of All, and 
Alaska. It is a day or two earlier than any of the 
others for field culture, and is really an improved 
form or selection of the old Kentish fnvicta. The 
old Beck’s Gem. and the improved slock known as 
Tom Thumb, is still largely grown on account of its 
dwarfness, which enables it to be sown between 
other crops. Blue Peter is a blue seeded form of 
the same variety. 
In the blue seeded section. First Crop, about 2ft. 
high, is a very old sort, and one of the largest 
podded of the first earlies, and ought to be more 
grown for field culture. Another good field Pea is 
Pride of the Market, a round seeded form of the 
Stratagem type. A variety still largely grown for 
the French market, but seldom seen in our seed 
lists now is the old Bishop’s Longpod. It is really, 
however, a very short podded variety, growing 3ft. 
high, rather late, but a heavy cropper, and exten¬ 
sively grown by the French for canning. Bedman’s 
Imperial is of the Harrison’s Glory type, but a little 
later, and grown principally for winter boiling. 
Laxton’s Fillbasket, a curved podded variety, and 
a good one in its day, is superseded by Veitch’s 
Gladiator, a much better Pea of the same type, 
having finer pods and being more fixed in character. 
The old Princess Royal, one of the late Dr. Mac¬ 
lean’s seedlings, a large, round, smooth white, 3ft. 
high still maintains its character for productiveness ; 
while Laxton’s Supreme would seem to be superseded 
by Telegraph for market growing ; and in the same 
way Cook’s Favourite or Hundredfold is being 
passed in demand by Prizetaker on Leicester Defi¬ 
ance, which is a little earlier. Laxton’s Ameer is a 
good first early, somewhat of the Supreme type but a 
little dwarfer. Telegraph is represented by a large 
section, there being a heavy demand for it, notwith¬ 
standing its tendency to run out into the light 
coloured podded form. Goliath, a new one of last 
year, sent out by Messrs. Cooper, Taber & Co., is 
very productive and good. It has straight, pointed 
and pale green pods, and large round blue seed, and 
seems to have been well fixed. The old Dickson’s 
Favourite still holds its own for field culture, and 
when true, as seen here, is free from the square 
ended pods of the old Emperor type sometimes seen 
among it. A French stock of the same Pea is not 
sold much here, but is largely grown by our neigh¬ 
bours for canning. Laxton’s Prolific, and Lye’s 
F'avourite, have all the characteristics of Dickson’s 
Favourite, with the advantage of being larger 
podded. The latest of the early rounds is the 
Victoria Marrow which has the largest seeds of the 
section. 
In the dwarf, early, wrinkled section, William 
Hurst is still supreme, and needs no recommendation 
now. Chelsea Gem, also a fine Pea, is a white 
seeded form of the same variety. English Wonder, 
an American introduction, is here a week to ten 
days later than William Hurst, and not one whit 
better. American Wonder is a good leading sort 
Alnarp, Sweden : View in the Garden. 
