February 9, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
S79 
much stronger, having larger Peas and finer pods, 
but not so well filled as in the English Wonder. I 
shall give it another trial this season, however, on 
some stronger soil, and this may improve it some¬ 
what. Wordsley Wonder is a good dwarf Pea, and 
should be grown by every one, if only for a trial 
with others. I have proved that all the dwarf varieties 
do best when grown on rather light soils. They do 
not seem to thrive so well in heavy land, as they 
grow so short and stunted. I also find it will not do 
to grow from seed saved from the same piece of 
land, a change being much needed, for, as in the 
case of Potatos, the change of seed is as good as a 
coat of manure. 
I should recommend growing dwarf Peas in beds 
from 2| ft. to 3 ft. wide, supporting them by sticks 
about 15 in. long to keep them off the soil. This 
will be found very beneficial, as the plants will bloom 
better, set better, and will be freer from grit when fit 
to gather, and if bad weather prevails they will keep 
longer in bearing, as the haulm will not rot on 
the ground so quickly. Lastly, they are much 
easier to gather. 
So much for the early section, now a few words 
about the second or main crop. As I said before, the 
soil should be well trenched and manured before 
sowing is thought about. Amongst the best of the 
main crop varieties are Dickson’s Favourite, a first- 
class, white, round Pea, growing 4 ft. 6 in. high; 
Lye’s Favourite, a second early, a grand cropper, 
and rather similar to Dickson’s, only the Peas are 
rather wrinkled ; Champion of England, a sort that has 
stood the test well for over forty years to my know¬ 
ledge, and can still find a place with the best; 
Criterion, a grand Pea, and one that has been grown 
some time, and which some fifteen years ago I grew 
to perfection at Oakley, when I said it was the 
Champion of England’s master, and I still believe it to 
be so, both for flavour and colour. I cannot say the 
constitution of Criterion has proved good with me, 
but as a grand Pea for a gentleman's garden nothing 
can be better, growing as it does from 5 ft. to 5 ft. 
6 in. high. 
I have amongst the newer varieties some g^cd 
sorts of Messrs. Daniel's introduction, which I can 
recommend. Their Matchless Marrow is a noble 
looking exhibition Pea, with long, handsome pods 
well filled with from ten to twelve large Marrow 
Peas of fine flavour. This is a very promising Pea, 
and one which in my opinion will become a leading 
variety. Another, called The Daniels, is a fine 
variety, and is said to be a cross between Best of 
All and Alpha. It is rather a strong grower, 
and the haulm runs about 4 ft. 6 in. in height. The 
pods are long and handsome, and well filled with fine 
Peas of splendid flavour—altogether a fine main 
crop Pea. Other sorts which I have proved to be 
good ones are Advancer, Dr. McLean, Premier, and 
Prince of Wales. Then we have Sharp’s Queen, a 
splendid variety ; Sutton’s Satisfaction, a grand Pea 
of good constitution, fine flavour, and well filled 
pods, a good Pea for exhibition, and one that 
will stand dry weather well. Sutton’s Main Crop 
Marrow I can also strongly recommend as a heavy 
cropper, possessing a good constitution, a fine 
appearance when growing, pods long, hanging in 
pairs, and well filled with Peas of a fine bright green 
colour when cooked. This is a fine market sort. 
I now come to the late or June main crop varieties, 
and well do I remember my first noticing Peas in a 
large quarter of the garden in which I served my 
time when a lad forty years ago. They were planted 
about 8 ft. apart from row to row and well staked. 
The sorts grown. Champion of England, Knight’s 
Tall Marrow, British Queen, and Ne Plus Ultra, two 
rows of each. I remember the man who served the 
kitchen at the time taking the skeleton or a light 
Salisbury barrow, and placing a board on it to stand 
upon to reach the Peas, which, to my fancy, were 
the best I have ever seen, but for their height, which 
might go against them with some people. Although 
much may be urged in favour of the dwarfer varieties, 
if plenty of good sticks are to be had, and plenty of 
room available in a large garden, I should go in for 
tall Peas, and believe them to pay best. If the 
reader could see a row of Ne Plus Ultra, 7 to 8 ft. 
high, and Peas gathered from them for a month or 
six weeks, as I have done, when planted on well 
trenched land, they would say the same as I do. 
I will mention a few other good late crop varieties, 
amongst which Autocrat is without doubt one of the 
very best of the later introductions. It grows about 
4 ft. 6 in. high, is of strong and robust habit, and 
bears fine pads of a beautiful dark green colour, well 
filled with Peas of splendid quality, foliage of very 
dark green hue, and a good bearer. Daniel’s Main 
Crop Marrow Pea is also a splendid sort and the 
most like the old Ne Plus Ultra of anything I have 
seen. In flavour it is the same, also in height, viz., 
from 5 ft. to 5 ft. 6 in. Last year the pods were 
perhaps a little longer than usual and quite straight. 
The pods were well filled, and in all respects it proved 
to be a splendid Pea, and one that should be largely 
grown. Other good varieties, late sorts, are Omega, 
Sutton’s Perfection, Walker’s Perpetual Bearer, 
Yorkshire Hero, and Veitch’s Perfection. 
I find that many people who grow Peas make the 
mistake of huddling them up too close together. 
Now my idea is to give them plenty of room upon 
good land, when good Peas will be obtained. 
Varieties 3 ft. in height should be allowed 3 ft. 6 in. 
from row to row ; at 6 ft. high, 7 ft. from row to row. 
If people could only manage to do this I am of 
opinion that single rows about a place would be the 
best method of culture, as they would get better 
crops and be better repaid for their outlay than they 
would be by growing them so close together in rows. 
Stake them as soon as possible, but give the Peas 
room to go up between the sticks, not force them to 
come through about half way up. As soon as the 
main or late crops are coming into bloom give them 
a good coating of old Mushroom dung. Half rotten 
stable manure, short grass of the lawn, or any kind 
of mulching, as this will be of benefit to the Peas by 
keeping the moisture in the soil. If this is done and 
after a dry hot day a few pots of water can be poured 
on this mulching in the evening, it will be very 
refreshing to the Peas, and the foliage will also be 
improved at the same time. I have often seen heaps 
of short grass, long manure, etc., laying wasting that 
might have been made useful for mulching. Of 
course, we do not all see alike, but to my mind 
mulching is one of the finest things that can be done 
for growing crops, such as Peas, Kidney Beans, etc., 
on light soils, as they grow better, bear better, and 
are of improved flavour, always feeling fresh and 
crisp and fit for table, instead of tasting like vege¬ 
tables that have been gathered a few days and laid 
withering and spoiling.— J. L., P. 
-■*-- 
EARLY SPRING-FLOWERING PLANTS. 
The Winter Aconite. 
Which among the many plants cultivated in the 
open ground is the first to flower in early spring ? 
Some would no doubt say the lovely golden-flowered 
Winter Aconite, Eranthis hyemalis, which has been 
described as the “ very * firstling ’ of the year,” and 
for this reason, that as a rule it blooms in advance of 
the Snowdrop. It is one of the most pleasing of the 
harbingers of spring, of quite dwarf growth, with a 
golden yellow, saucer-shaped flower resting in a kind 
of rosette of leaves. It is also one of the most 
accommodating of plants, and it can be purchased in 
the form of dry roots in the autumn, or in little 
flowering clumps in February; it will do well in any 
kind of soil almost, and when planted soon establishes 
itself, and then by pushing its tuberous-like roots in 
various directions increases rapidly until in time it 
covers a good space of ground. I have seen it over¬ 
flowing from a flower border, and actually thrusting 
up its blossoms amid the gravel of a walk close by. 
We have grown this pretty subject in our gardens for 
many years, and though it seeds and can be raised 
from seeds, no variation is noticed in the type. I 
have to add that the roots may be left in the ground 
to spread, or they can be lifted at the end of the 
summer, when the foliage has died away, and 
replanted in the autumn. I remember, now several 
years ago, paying a visit to Castle Ashby, North¬ 
ampton, the seat of the Marquis of Northampton, 
when the late Mr. George Beech was the gardener, 
and when spring gardening was carried out largely 
and finely. Castle Ashby lies snug and close, and 
spring flowers bloomed early, consequently it was 
early in the year when I went there, and I remember 
Mr. Beech taking me to see a huge Chestnut tree 
only just pushing into leaf, and the ground all round 
the trunk was a mass of golden blossoms of the 
Winter Aconite, which had established itself on the 
spot, and was annually extending its borders. The 
plants bloomed and matured their leaves before the 
tree got well into leaf, and the leaves of the Chestnut 
fell in autumn, rotted, and gave a fine mulch to the 
Aconites. 
Crocus biflorus. 
I think that this species of the Crocus shares with 
the Snowdrop the time of blooming, C. biflorus is a 
small dwarf growing form ; creamy white, with lines 
of blue purple pencilled upon the exterior petals. It 
is also known as the Scotch Crocus, and unlike most 
of the fine varieties of the Crocus, the skin of the 
bulb is hard, and it is not shed as in the 
case of some others. This early species should be 
planted on the margins of flower borders, and let 
alone; then, when established in a year or two, it 
will bloom freely, at least in company with the 
Snowdrop, if it does not precede it. The Crocus of 
legendary history was no doubt that known as the 
Saffron, or Crocus sativus. It is from the stigmas 
of this Crocus Saffron is manufactured, which was 
at one time employed for dyeing purposes, but it was 
not particularly lasting. At one time it was con¬ 
sidered a valuable stimulant, exhilarating the spirits 
and relieving pain ; but it is not now of any impor¬ 
tance except as a colouring matter for pastry, 
confectionery, and liqueurs. 
Years ago, the Saffron Crocus was largely grown 
at Walden, Essex, and anyone can readily under¬ 
stand why the prefix was added to the name of 
Walden. The stigmas were gathered as soon as the 
flower has fairly expanded, or else the virtue is 
lost. 
The Snowdrop. 
And then the pretty Snowdrop! What can com¬ 
pare with it for winsomeness in early spring—just 
at the time when the new life of the springtime is 
stirring the vegetable kingdom ? We have single 
and double forms of the Snowdrop, but there is a 
kind of contrariness about the bulbs, for no matter 
how carefully they are selected, it is impossible to 
ensure the single coming single-flowered, and the 
double double-flowered, so much do they run the one 
into the other ; but let this tendency to run out of 
character be what it will, the flowers are none the 
less beautiful. There are two or three large-flowered 
species, such as the Crimean Snowdrop, Galanthus 
plicatus, and the Giant Snowdrop, G. Elwesii. An 
enterprising gardener in Scotland took in hand, some 
years ago, the Snowdrop, and by seeding from it 
raised a number of varieties, some of which flowered 
very early, and some quite late, and so provided an 
agreeable succession ; indeed, so much so, that when 
the earliest are in bloom the later ones are only just 
coming through the soil. 
In reference to the culture of the Snowdrop, it has 
been said that these welcome harbingers of spring 
never show to such advantage as when planted in 
dense clumps and broad bands. This is quite correct, 
because two or three bulbs make but little display, 
while two or three dozen planted as a clump or band 
would be very attractive. The Snowdrop can be 
grown in pots, and almost as many bulbs as the pot 
will conveniently hold should be placed in good soil, 
and then there will be a surprising head of bloom. 
A double Snowdrop blossom really demands inspec¬ 
tion ; if examined, it will be found "exquisitely 
beautiful,” and it might be spoken of as a piece of 
vegetable jewellery. The flowers are bell-shaped, 
closely packed with petals, like so many microscopic 
crinolines arranged for the attiring of a fairy; they 
are snow-white, and sometimes delicately tipped with 
light green. 
The Hepatica. 
The pretty Hepatica is with me as early as any 
spring flower ; and the silvery-blue blossoms of one 
variety are already expanding themselves under a 
warm wall, though the spell of sharp enduring frost 
will greatly check them. It used to be classed with 
the Anemones, and was known as Anemone Hepatica; 
but it is now generally known as Hepatica triloba. 
I think it not unlikely the single blue flowered 
form was the first of the type, though it is little 
better than conjectural to say so. There are the 
single and double blue ; the single and double red, 
or rather rosy-pink; and the single white, but no 
double form of this colour. Report says there was 
at one timea double white form, but no contemporary 
horticulturist appears to have seen it, nor does it 
exist in catalogues published seventy and eighty years 
ago. 
The Hepaticas, and especially the double pink, the 
single blue, and the single white, will grow well in 
any good deep garden soil which is not too heavy. 
The Hepaticas like a deep run for their roots, and in 
a light deep soil will do remarkably well. They 
require to be planted and let alone, and then the 
