122 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
October 20, 1894. 
FLORISTS’ AND OTHER FLOWERS 
AT READING. 
On the occasion of a visit to Reading some time 
ago, we had a brief inspection of the grounds and 
houses at the Portland Road Nursery of Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading, and a more hasty survey of 
some of the subjects then to be seen on the Seed 
Farm alongside of the Great Western Railway. In 
the latter case more especially it was too late to see 
the wealth of flowers that make such a display there 
every year, and are the envy of all beholders passing 
along the railway. The seeds were being harvested 
in many cases. 
Open air trials at the Portland Road 
Nursery. 
Of the enormous number of varieties of China 
Asters we have already spoken in a previous issue. 
The two-year old plantation of Marguerite Carna¬ 
tions had been a mass of bloom during great part of 
the summer. Another sowing made in April last com¬ 
menced to bloom about the end of August in spite 
of the cold, wet season, and were in fresh and 
attractive condition when we saw them. It is almost 
impossible to describe the range of colour in the 
Heddewigii strain of the Chinese Pink in their end¬ 
less tints of rose, crimson, purple, and white, often 
arranged in the most fantastic way. The Laciniata 
type is notable for the deep fringes into which the 
petals are cut. Several kinds are named, while the 
superb mixed strain showed some grand colours. 
The single varieties are the most favoured, as the 
large flowers and rich colours are very telling for 
bedding purposes. On the contrary a plantation of 
Perpetual Carnations raised and flowered in six 
months from seed in the same way as Marguerites, 
had a very large percentage of double flowers of 
beautiful colours, in fact we noted only one that was 
quite single in the whole batch. 
In the trial of Lobelias we noted a considerable 
range of variety. Some had pure white flowers, 
others were dark blue, light blue, and purple ; all 
were dwarf, and included sorts with bronzy foliage. 
The plantation of double Balsams had grown well 
and flowered freely, but had been partly injured by 
frost, which had occurred a few nights previously. 
Pansies from seed sown in spring are grown to some 
extent, as are seedling Dahlias. Marvel of Peru in 
several colours was flowering profusely. A dwarf, 
single variety of French Marigold named Legion of 
Honour was notable for its even and regular 
character. Long lines of it in borders by the side 
of the gravel paths, were only 9 in. high. The 
flowers were yellow with a crimson zone round the 
centre. 
The Verbenas from seed had also given great satis¬ 
faction, and were still in full bloom when we saw 
them. The flowers, were white, blue, purple, and of 
other shades. There were dwarf and tall strains of 
Antirrhinum; amongst the former was Yellow 
Prince, of a fine yellow, and 6 in. to 8 in. high. It 
flowered all the summer. Aurora, yellow, with a 
pink tube was equally dwarf. Sutton's White 
Throated rises to a height of 2 ft. to 3J ft., and has 
crimson flowers with an ivory-white tube. Both 
strains are necessary for different purposes. A 
plantation of a new Hollyhock, rightly named Bright 
Rose, and raised from seed in the last week of 
February, arrested our attention on account of the 
clean and bright appearance of the flowers. They 
have broad, light rose guards, and a darker rose 
centre. The variety is to be sent out next year. 
Amongst bedding Begonias, B. sempervirens, 
Duchess of York with pink flowers, and Coral Gem 
with rose blooms, were flowering finely. The latter 
has bronzy foliage and flowers, and blooms summer 
and winter under glass. 
The Houses at Portland Road. 
The extensive batches of Cyclamen grown at this 
establishment were in 48 size pots and furnished 
with fine foliage. They had been sown in Novem¬ 
ber last, and will make a fine display presently. 
Gloxinias were still showing their true character, 
and amongst them we noted Her Majesty, white, 
Sutton's Purple, Duke of York, white with a five- 
lobed crimson zone at the throat, and Azure Blue, 
white, with a broad sky-blue edge. The velvety 
bronzy-red and olive foliage of Gesnera zebrina 
discolor was beautifully supplemented with the 
pyramidal racemes of orange-scarlet flowers. That 
useful and popular decorative plant, Cyperus alter- 
nifolius, is here grown from seed. Batches of 
Streptocarpus sown in March were still flowering 
freely. The varieties of Achimenes were numerous, 
and some of them had been raised from seed sown 
in February. Amongst those in bloom we noted 
Splendens, brilliant scarlet, Coccinea, similar in 
colour but smaller and very floriferous, Ambrose, 
white and netted with purple, Longiflora, large blue, 
and Margaretta, pure white with a long tube. The 
pretty blue flowered Saintpaulia ionantha was 
flowering very freely. 
Tuberous Begonias are grown very extensively 
under glass for the production of seed, and it is 
needless to say that all of them are very floriferous 
kinds, suitable alike for culture in pots or in beds 
out of doors. Amongst the doubles were choice, 
scarlet, white, and Camellia-flowered varieties. The 
salmon and yellow single kinds were also handsome. 
The Reading Beauty strain is a series of single 
varieties more particularly adapted for bedding or 
pots on account of their floriferous character. There 
were several white varieties, but Queen of Whites 
was best, and Crimson and Carmine were also 
choice. Reading Gem, white with a rose edge, is a 
charming sort of the Picotee type. Reading Beauty, 
White, Coral, and Rich Yellow, are other choice 
sorts of the same strain. The luminous orange- 
scarlet and double flowers of Prince of Orange 
reminded us of the orange-coloured Trollius. 
Meteor is a very dwarf sort with bronzy foliage and 
orange-scarlet flowers. A pendulous strain suitable 
for baskets was grown in pots and stood upon 
shelves with their masses of double flowers hanging 
down. Yellow, orange, crimson, scarlet, sulphur, 
white, rose, and rose with a white centre were some 
of the numerous hues to be noted in the pendulous 
strain, all of which were raised from seed. One 
like the Rose Wm. Allen Richardson was very 
attractive, and various others served to show what 
could be done with tuberous Begonias in baskets. 
The Seed Farm. 
As already stated the seeds of many things had been 
gathered and others were being got safely under 
cover. The Stock-flowered Larkspurs were still in 
bloom and 3 ft. to 3J ft. high. The orange flowers 
of Cacalia coccinea might be oftener seen in borders 
of annuals. The flowers of Helichrysum bractea- 
tum monstrosum were glorious in their yellow, 
golden, crimson, scarlet, orange-scarlet, and silvery- 
white sheen. That named Fireball is of an intense 
glittering or fiery crimson. Golden Globe is another 
sort of huge size. Sutton's large-flowered Scabiosa 
atropurpurea grows to the height of 2 ft. to 3 ft., 
but the richly varied flower heads are far superior 
to the old German pincushion style of flower. 
White, purple and other shades of Xeranthemum 
annum were still very profusely produced; this 
annual is valuable for cut flowers and border 
decoration late in the season. The golden umbels 
of bloom produced by Tagetis lucida were bold and 
attractive. The species is very unlike other 
Marigolds in general cultivation, and ought to be 
more largely grown. The varieties of French 
Marigold are numerous and choice; the single 
striped sort has a velvety brown edge and is very 
beautiful. Queen of Dwarfs is an orange variety 
well adapted for edging, as are the Miniature, which 
is double yellow, and Miniature Spotted, which is 
yellow with a crimson blotch at the base of the 
petals. Tall French sorts are also grown, as well as 
the orange and lemon African varieties. 
The annual Sunflower under cultivation has made 
great departures from the wild original, so that the 
latter would now fail to recognise its kinsfolk of the 
garden. Sutton's Giant was sown in May, and had 
attained a height of 6 ft. to 11 ft., bearing huge heads 
with long, golden rays, and a black disc. For a 
rich piece of ground in the wild garden this would 
be a magnificent subject, more especially if each 
plant were accorded plenty of space to attain its best 
development. Primrose Perfection was much dwarfer 
and had long, primrose rays with a black disc. 
Sutton’s Dwarf formed a hedge about the height of 
3 ft., and had double flowers, the central ones of 
which were tubular, much elongated and golden 
yellow, while the rays were pate yellow. Sutton's 
Golden Double had much darker flowers than the 
dwarf one, but the florets were similarly long and 
tubular. 
The ordinary double Sunflower was simply 
yellow. The Silvery-leaved Sunflower (Helian- 
thus argyrophyllus) was notable for the hoary 
character of its leaves; the flowers were single 
with yellow rays and a black disc. The Miniature 
Sunflower (Helianthus cucumerifolius) had much 
smaller flowers, very freely produced and similar in 
colour to those of the latter. A useful free-flowering 
Lupine is Lupinus-nanus albo-coccineus with rosy 
or red standards and white wings. Near one of the 
warehouses for the storage of seeds in the process 
of drying was a large collection of Onions which had 
been pulled and laid out to dry. They had been 
sown in spring, and were of good keeping size, though 
often of handsome proportions. They consisted of 
the leading varieties in cultivation including fine 
specimens of Golden Globe, Crimson Globe, and 
others. 
f » T _ 
LESSONS FROM FLOWER 
SHOWS. 
Your correspondent “ O " has either mis-read or 
misunderstood the meaning which my remarks re 
note-taking, on page 52, were intended to convey. 
Turning to my previous communication I find that 
I therein said, “ By all means take notes, but if you 
do it at all, do it thoroughly.” Well! what is wrong 
with that ? I repeat that any man who upon seeing 
a new plant (to him) only takes its name without 
troubling to note also the general appearance of the 
same, as well as any cultural details upon which he 
can lay his hand, is not using his time to the 
best advantage. “ O ” talks about a gardener's 
memory being over-taxed. Certainly, we do meet 
with instances of this, but cases of over-taxing are 
are not nearly so common as " O "would have us 
believe. 
A properly trained memory is capable of holding 
quite as much as the average gardener wants it to 
hold. A good memory is a natural gift it is true, but 
it is a gift that is capable of very great cultivation 
and improvement; nay, more, it is sadly subject to 
deterioration if not frequently used. Seldom indeed 
is it that a man’s memory will wear out (except, of 
course, in the natural course of life), much oftener is 
it allowed to rust out, rather an ignoble way of 
treating so valuable a faculty. I maintain that the 
more memory is used, and the greater the quantity 
of matter committed to its care, the more powerful 
does it become, and the more capable is it of contain¬ 
ing increased stores of knowledge. Like a spade (to 
use a homely simile), use it and it will be bright and 
keen—lay it by and neglect to use it and it becomes 
dull. 
A man who devotes his whole attention to the 
filling of a note-book is failing to use (and hence im¬ 
prove) his memory to the extent he might do. Would 
it not be far better if, before writing anything down, 
a few salient and striking characteristic points of the 
plant whose name is to be put do wn on paper were to be 
committed to memory. Afterwards, when referring 
to his note-book, the note-taker would find that the 
reading of the name of the plant would conjure up 
its appearance before his mental vision, and he 
would feel that he knew it, and would feel able to 
recognise that plant whenever and wherever he saw 
it again, even though it should be under different 
circumstances. 
Now a note-book is but an aid to memory, but 
most decidedly it is not memory itself. I again 
repeat that there are many who fall into the error 
of considering it as such. " O " says " he does not 
believe that there are such men.” In reply I would 
invite him to go to any of our horticultural training 
institutions (I might quote Kew as an example) 
where lectures are given to young men upon sciences 
related to and collateral with horticulture, and 
where the student is expected to write a resume, 
he will find that there are numbers who will tell 
him that it is a great mistake to take too many 
notes. 
They will tell him, too, that when they were new to 
the work they would be writing down as fast as 
their pencil would travel during the whole of the 
time occupied by the lecture, but that when they 
came to put these notes into readable shape they 
found that they had got into a veritable maze of 
technicalities that were as Greek to them, and about 
which they had to confess they knew nothing at all, 
although they had been lucidly explained during the 
course of the lecture. 
" O ” remarks that when he sees a young man 
taking notes he has hopes of him, that he means 
business. This is very true, but the most hopeful 
thing of all is the manifest desire to learn and the 
evident thirst for knowledge thus exhibited.— G. 
