346 
January 27, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
PRIMULAS AT READING. 
One of the brightest amenities of gardening is that 
certain flowers can be produced in perfection during 
the dullest months of the year by the aid of glass at 
a time when the beds and borders of the outdoor 
garden are bare, and at their bleakest stage. The 
alternate freezing and thawing, heavy rains and cold 
winds, have made the hardy subjects much later 
than we have frequently seen them. The contrast 
between the winter garden and the summer garden 
is, therefore, all the more pronounced at the present. 
About the middle of last week we inspected the 
Chinese Primulas of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, in the 
Portland Road Nurseries, Reading ; and under the 
influence of bright sunshine they looked very gay 
indeed in their wealth of colours, ranging from the 
purest white to the most intense crimson, thus amply 
testifying to the skill and industry of the cross¬ 
breeder during many generations of the species since 
it was first introduced from China. 
Between 6,ooo and 7.000 plants are grown, occupy¬ 
ing twelve houses, or twenty if one counts the separ¬ 
ate divisions. One house of three divisions would 
contain about 1,000 plants, all in 48-size pots, which 
are the most suitable for the production of seed, 
because when the first truss, with its large and hand¬ 
some flowers, is in perfection, the camel-hair bush is 
soon at work, after which any further flowers would 
be smaller, but not wanted, as one truss of seed is 
sufficient for a plant to bring to perfection, For 
purely decorative purposes the gardener would put 
them into larger pots, in order to get larger plants, 
which, not beiDg fertilised, go on producing fresh 
flowers for many weeks or months in succession. 
Single Varieties. 
The Star Primulas were the first to arrest the eye 
when peering through the glass. Sutton's Star 
Primula is grown in five or more very distinct 
varieties, the finest and most attractive beiDg the 
original White, having dark red leaf and flower 
stalks, with bronzy green foliage, and pure white 
starry flowers borne in graceful, pyramidal masses, 
standing clear above the foliage. Half a division of 
a house is devoted to this one alone, which is not 
surprising considering its distinctiveness and effective¬ 
ness for conservatory decoration. Another while 
variety occupies a similar amount of space, and is 
characterised by lighter stems and foliage, and larger 
flowers, slightly later in coming into bloom. The 
Pink Star Primula has rich rosy flowers, and is 
equally as floriferous as the first named white variety. 
The Fern-leaved Star Primula is grown in quantity, 
and has white flowers surmounting dark stems and 
foliage. It is a distinct acquisition to the race. The 
Lilac Star Primula is a plain-leaved variety, 
characterised by the colour of the flowers. 
Before proceeding further we may here mention 
the six new varieties which made their appear¬ 
ance at the Drill Hall, Westminster, on the 9th inst., 
and to which an Award of Merit was accorded for 
the strain. The most distinct break that has occured 
amongst Chinese Primulas for many years past, is 
that named The Duchess, the flowers of which are 
silvery-white, with a broad rosy-purple zone round 
the eye. Crimson King is the darkest of all, being 
of an intense crimson with a blackish-maroon zone 
round the eye. Others are Maud, intense blue ; 
The Sirdar, carmine, with a white lacing to the seg¬ 
ments of the flower ; and Lord Roberts, rich salmon- 
scarlet. General French is the double counterpart 
of Crimson King, and both are grown inconsiderable 
quantity. The rest are yet scarce, and cannot 
be put into commerce until they have been 
increased. 
Many novelties are yet on trial, and some of them 
are sure to meet with favour when they have be¬ 
come permanently fixed, for crossing assuredly gives 
plentiful variation, but the resultant colours are un¬ 
stable for a year or two until certain elements have 
become eliminated. Many of them have the dark 
zone of Crimson King, others are dark scarlet, 
orange-scarlet, dark heliotrope, and more or less dis¬ 
tinctly zoned, or Auricula-eyed, as seme would say. 
Sutton’s Cambridge Blue is a novelty beiDg put into 
commerce for the first time. The flowers, which 
are of great size, are light blue, as the name is in¬ 
tended to indicate. 
Crimson King is notable for the rich, velvety- 
crimson colour of its flowers, and the fact that they 
are already of the deepest hue on their first expansion. 
It is grown in quantity, and very telling in bright 
light. Crimson King, Fern-leaved, is already a reality, 
and a handsome variety it is, with intense crimson 
flowers, and a black zone round the eye. It is of 
fine close habit, but not yet in great quantity. There 
is half a houseful of Sutton’s Reading Blue, produc¬ 
ing a rich display of large and showy flowers. Very 
handsome also is Sutton’s Blue, Fern-leaved, which 
already carries one to three large trusses, and mas¬ 
sive flowers. The plants are all of even habit, and 
perfectly true to the strain. Brilliant Rose is pro¬ 
perly so named, and the habit of the plants could 
not be more even and regular if they had been shorn 
down to one height. The variety is one of the finest 
of its colour, and a standard, reliable sort. 
The earliest of all to flower is Snowdrift, which 
maintains its snowy purity from first to last. There 
is a profusion of flowers at present, on massive 
trusses, and they will keep on developing for some 
time to come. The soft silvery-pink of Reading 
Pink is in perfect accord with the light green petioles 
and flower scapes. Rosy Queen is several shades 
darker, and a fine variety to boot, with large flowers 
and light green Fern-foliage. No more striking con¬ 
trast could be met with than the snow-white flowers 
of Gipsy Queen, surmounting the broDzy, metallic- 
lookiDg, Fern-leaved foliage. The latter but serves 
to bring out the purity of the flowers. The white 
flowers of Reading Pearl assume a pearly tint with 
age. It is a standard variety, but the growth is of 
greater vigour than formerly. Another- grand 
variety is Royal White, which differs from the 
former by having pure white flowers, but dark 
petioles and stems, which show up the purity of the 
blossom to the best advantage. Brilliant Ruby is 
the dwarfest and most compact of all the varieties 
grown, and might well be used as a parent in cross¬ 
breeding to counteract the tendency to over-luxuri¬ 
ance, and a straggling habit, if ever that should be¬ 
come necessary. Alba magnifica has wavy or crisped 
white flowers, and light green foliage of a similarly 
crisped pattern. 
Giant Primulas. 
Several fine varieties of these already exist, all not¬ 
able for the great size of their flowers, but the 
greater effort necessary for their development would 
seem to account for their being ten days or a fort¬ 
night later than the ordinary types. This is an 
advantage rather than otherwise, for they serve to 
prolong the season considerably, not with smaller, 
but larger flowers than those which first decorate the 
benches. 
The finest of all the race is Sutton's Giant White, 
a bloom of which makes a good-sized watch look 
small. The white is very pure, and the substance 
excellent. Others of this type are Giant Crimson, 
Giant Scarlet, Giant Pink, Giant Terra Cotta, and 
Giant Salmon QueeD, the colours of which are well 
indicated by the respective names. The last-men¬ 
tioned is a fine one, but only yet in small quantity. 
Terra Cotta is a novelty for 1900, and the large 
flowers might be described as terra cotta with a good 
dash of salmon in it. 
Double Varieties. 
This section might best be described as semi-double, 
for the organs are perfect, and all of them are regu¬ 
larly and best raised from seed, the seedlings coming 
true to the parents. Moss Curled Lilac belongs to 
this type, but differs as much from the original 
Chinese Primula in its finely curled leaves, as do 
the Fern-leaved varieties. The flowers are now of 
handsome size and quite conspicuous. Moss Curled 
White is of the same habit, but might be preferred 
on account of the while flowers. 
Double Pink is inclined to be darker in the centre 
than in the silvery-pink of the rest of the flower. It 
is early and now quite showy on account of its mas¬ 
sive trusses of flowers. Double Carnation-flaked is 
white, mottled and flaked with purple. A new strain 
of it is characterised by much darker flowers, on 
account of the more numerous markings and more 
intense colour. No doubt many would give this one 
the preference, though it is a matter of taste. The 
flowers of both are now greatly increased in size 
compared with the original selections. Double Blue 
is, if anything, the darkest of all the blues in the 
collection, though the individual blooms may be ex¬ 
celled in size. Double White is large and very pure, 
and being a standard variety is grown in great 
quantity. The flowers are very useful for cut flower 
purposes, on account of their greater durability than 
those of the single varieties. General French, the 
new variety mentioned above, ought really to be 
placed here. Improved Double Scarlet is several 
shades lighter in colour than General French, but 
otherwise is closely allied. The rich salmon flowers 
of Double Salmon are produced in great profusion, 
and being carried well above the foliage on stout 
stems, are both conspicuous and showy. 
A house is devoted to a great number of varieties 
on trial, represented by something like 1,500 to 
2,000 plants, all grown in small 60-sized pots to de¬ 
termine their colours, and whether true to name 
before the seeds are sent to customers. After this 
all are thrown away. The trials alone are thus 
responsible for a great amount of labour, time, and 
care. 
-—- 
PEA GRADUS. 
I have only just noticed in your issue of the 30th 
ult., page 285, a description of some " Dwarf Peas,’’ 
by William Carmichael. He writes " Gradus is a 
straggling useless sort and ought never to have been 
sent out.” I am afraid Mr. Carmichael’s experience 
of this Pea, perhaps also of others, is extremely 
limited, or he would not have classed Gradus as a 
Dwarf Pea in conjunction with American V/onder or 
William Hurst. 
It is not many weeks ago since a correspondent 
invited the opinion of one of your contemporaries as 
to the four best and earliest Peas in commerce; 
needless to say the answer included “ Gradus.” 
If Mr. Carmichael professes to be a connoisseur 
in Peas, he will find that no Pea of recent intro¬ 
duction has had so many re-namings, to suit the 
variety and add to the profits of those who know the 
Pea to be of the highest repute, and are not ashamed 
of claiming it to be of their own introduction, and 
yet are incapable of raising anything in the shape of 
a novelty. 
It is possible that the stock of Gradus Pea in 
question might not have been a good one, and I 
would suggest before Mr. Carmichael puts his con¬ 
demnation upon any introduction in the vegetable 
kingdom in future he will apply to the actual 
raiser or introducer for a supply and then give his 
verdict. 
Compared with American Wonder, William Hurst, 
or Daisy, Gradus is taller in growth, but it is a 
heavier cropper, as early as the two former, much 
earlier than Daisy, while as regards size and fulness 
of pods, they are not in it. The trade cannot keep 
pace with the demand. 
During an experience extending over many years 
I have never heard or seen so sweeping an assertion 
with so little justification .—John Harrison, Leicester, 
18 th January, 1900. 
CULTIVATION OF CARROTS. 
Re Walter Grant’s article in last week's Gardening 
World, page 331, I would say with him that for 
market crops the method of preparing ground for 
Carrots as described by me at page 300, is too ex¬ 
pensive. BeiDg so, if a market man finds that his 
land is unsuitable for their growth, then he simply 
substitutes a more adaptable crop. Private gar¬ 
deners, on the other hand, have to produce all sorts 
of crops, especially supplies of Carrots and Onions. 
With a fairly extended experience of land in the 
neighbourhood of Edinburgh, I know that unless 
ample and thoughtful preparations had been made 
with the Carrot and Onion ground in two cases we 
should have been in the predicament of some of our 
neighbours. The soil in a garden, some miles to 
the south of Edinburgh, was heavy, and though 
much labour was expended, we could never make a 
decently suitable Carrot bed. In the northern 
suburbs of the same city, the soil is more or less 
sandy and it was an easier matter to add enriching 
matter, and so constitute a firm and a rich area. I 
do not think I ever recommended vegetable mould 
for light soils or as a land dressing at any time. I 
do not like it. Rather would I burn it and use the 
residue. It has been found too often to be the means 
of establishing insects, grubs and eggs in the land, 
and this even with lime spread in layers and scattered 
through the mould heap in turning it. What has 
Walter Grant or ether readers to say about the prac¬ 
tice of sowing Onion and Carrot seeds together as a 
preventative of insect attack ? I have not quite 
seen the force of the law myself, therefore do not 
practice it. But those who follow the rule say the 
odour of the Onions saves the Carrots from infest- 
tation.—L. A. W. 
