July 28, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
763 
S.E., was a very strong third, having lovely harps, 
anchors, show vases, &c. All of the competitions 
were very fine and certainly one of the strongest of 
the show features. There were five entries. 
Mr. R. Chamberlain, of Reading, won Mr. H. J. 
Jones’ first prize tor an epergne or other suitable 
design for dinner table. Miss C. B. Cole was 
second ; Mrs. W. Green, Jun., Harold Wood, Essex, 
third ; and Mr. R. Jeffery, fourth The competition 
brought over a dozen entries. 
MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITS. 
Messrs. Dobbie & Co., Florists to the Queen, Rothe¬ 
say, N.B., filled a space of over 300 sq. ft, the 
plan of the arrangement being a series of raised 
groups and undulations There were 182 new and 
old varieties of Sweet Peas shown, to show the de¬ 
velopment that has taken place during the last 
fifty years. Festuca and Calamagrostis grasses, Cocos 
'and Maidenhair Ferns were used effectively. The 
stand was perhaps slightly too flat, yet it was one of 
the finest groups in the show. Half a dozen of the 
finest varieties were Creole, lavender; Oriental, rosy- 
salmon ; Countess of Powis, salmon-pink; Navy 
Blue; Lovely, pink; and Duchess of Westminster, 
purple. (Gold Medal.) 
Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, London, 
arranged their stand uniquely. The plan was briefly 
this:—A central "trellis structure" consisting of 
brass upright rods surmounted with the Prince of 
Wales’ feather. A broad top-fitting held a pro¬ 
fusion of deep crystal tubes, which were filled with 
Sweet Peas and Gypsophila. The central spaces 
between the rods were filled in with small looped 
chains, which also were beautifully furnished with 
Sweet Peas. On the table at the foot of this erect 
trellis were small raised stages, having mirrors sur¬ 
mounted with Isolepis gracilis. These stands con¬ 
tained collections of Sweet Peas, mostly of one 
colour, for facile comparison. In the centre of the 
stand Carter’s Commemorative Cup (a magnificent 
article) was placed. Altogether this was an expen¬ 
sive and lovely arrangement, and a dark background 
would have greatly aided the effect. (Silver Gilt 
Medal.) 
Mr. F. G. Foster, Brockhampton Nurseries, 
Havant, had a small but very select collection 
beautifully blended and relieved with Ferns, &c. 
The flowers were very large and fine, of deep, good 
colour and shapely form. 
Mr H. B. May, Upper Edmonton, had a stand of 
Campanula isopbylla Mayi, profusely flowered and 
trained in different style=, some droopiDg, others 
pyramidal, and yet others balloon shaped. 
Mr. B. Ladhams, Shirley Nurseries, Southampton, 
set up a group of cut hardy herbaceous flowers, in¬ 
cluding splendid spikes of Platycodon grandiflorum, 
Coreopsis graqdiflora var. Eldorado (a larger form 
than the type), Heliopsis, Galegas, Achilleas, &c. 
On the whole this was a select group. (Silver Gilt 
Medal.) 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, set up a 
couple of groups of Sweet Peas in pots, edged with 
the Cupid strain. These were indeed very fine. 
Their chief show, however, was that staged in the 
east portion of the nave, and which covered 250 sq. 
ft. This group was high in the centre, and sloped 
evenly away on both sides towards the edges. The 
bunches, in nice glasses, were massive and finely 
spread. Chancellor, Colonist, Capt. of the Blues, 
Oriental, Othello, Countess of Powis, Her Majesty, 
Duke of Sutherland, Black Knight, &c., were 
remarkably strong and fine. (Gold Medal.) 
Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham, 
S.E., filled over 250 sq. ft. of convex tabling at the east 
end of the nave. The table was raised 3 ft. or 4 ft. 
high, and sloped from the front backward, culmina¬ 
ting about 10 ft. high at the back At this part there 
were three large arches decked from end to end with 
mixed Sweet Peas. The central mass on the stage 
was built up of plants in pots, while on the flanks 
were massed bunches in vases. The edge was lined 
with light maidenhair plants in pots, while Peas in 
pots and others in vases were placed on the floor 
around the base of the table. Tall vases occupied 
the left and right-hand corners. This was certainly 
a masterpiece in Sweet Pea decorations. The 
quality of the blooms was up to the usual, about 
150 varieties being staged. (Gold Medal.) 
Messrs. Hurst & Son sent from their Trial 
Grounds at Kelvedon, Essex, a collection of Sweet 
Peas which filled three sides of a large oblong. 
The vases were smartly arranged, the colours 
well blended, and the quality of the blooms 
very high class. The latter fact was very striking. 
Black Knight was Ai, Duke of Westminster 
was good, Prima Donna, very sweet, Navy 
Blue, handsome, Countess of Powis and Mrs. Eck- 
ford were exceedingly sweet, and all the distinct 
kinds were represented. (Gold Medal.) 
Messrs. Harrison & Sons, Seed Growers^ 
Leicester, had a collection of Sweet and culinary 
Peas. The Sweet Peas had plenty of space, and 
being good they formed an attractive exhibit. 
(Small Silver Medal.) 
Messrs. Dicksons, Ltd., Chester, had 100 bunches 
of Sweet Peas, including old and new varieties. 
Coming the distance they did, closely packed, and 
all the rest of it, they were yet specially fine. Navy 
Blue, Black Knight, Dorothy Tennant, blue ; Lovely, 
Countess of Powis, Chancellor, Princess May, 
and Lady Grisel Hamilton were some of the more 
outstanding varieties. The arrangement left nothing 
to be desired. 
Mr. Robert Sydenham, Tenby Street, Birming¬ 
ham, also arranged a select assortment. Mr. 
Sydenham's name is inseparably bound up with 
florists' flowers in general, and his efforts in Sweet 
Peas, which he offers in collections to suit the 
pockets of all classes, still uphold his reputation as 
one of the foremost veterans. (Large Silver 
Medal.) 
The Ichthemic Guano Co., Ipswich, had a table 
with samples of their manures in tins and packages 
of various sizes. 
Messrs. E. W. King & Co., Coggeshall Essex, had 
a table of bright varieties of Sweet Peas, comprising 
the leading varieties, and all of high merit The 
Messrs. King grow mainly for the sake of supplying 
seed wholesale or retail. (Large Silver Medal.) 
Mr. A. Edwards, Arnold, Notts., showed his 
"Edwardian” table and room decorations, which 
now-a-days are finding such patronage from those 
who have much of this work to do. 
Messrs. Barr & Sons, King Street, Covent Garden, 
London, staged a collection of hardy herbaceous cut 
flowers, the arrangement of which was perfection, 
and the quality of the stuff was very high. Lilium 
chalcedonicum was good. Hemerocallis aurantiacum 
major, Lilium Kramerli, L. Humboldtii magnificum, 
Inulas, Iris laevigata, Galllardias, Pentstemons, 
Roses, &c., were all included. They also showed 
sixteen dishes of exhibition culinary Peas, of which 
Gradus, Magnum Bonum, Criterion, Telegraph, 
Duke of York, and such other first water varieties 
were seen. (Large Silver Medal.) 
Messrs. John Peed & Son, Roupell Park Nurser¬ 
ies, Norwood Road, S.E., set up a group consisting 
for the mo3t part of Sweet Peas, and hardy 
herbaceous cut flowers. Their collection of orna¬ 
mental grasses was much admired. Border 
Carnations, Pentstemons, Achilleas, GailLrdias, &c., 
were included in this attractive and meritorious 
stand. (Large Silver Medal.) 
Messrs. Jones & Sons, Nurserymen, Shrewsbury, 
as big growers of Sweet Peas and seeds in general, 
were well represented on this occasion They had 
many prizes also in the competitive classes. 
Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, Upper Holloway, 
London, N., had a splendid collection, their array 
being set up in large, massive bunches. (Large 
ilver Medal) 
Mr. Henry Eckford, Wem, Shropshire, "The 
Sweet Pea Specialist," as may be guessed, had a 
magnificent stand. The numbers of the varieties 
were not so numerous, but they were all chosen 
kinds of great distinctness, large, strong, fragrant, 
and in every way superior He also showed bottles 
of the Essence of Sweet Pea blossoms, which, 
judging from its ready sale at half-a-crown a time, 
must have been of high value. (Gold Medal.) 
Mr. F. A. Roscoe, The Golden Orchard, Steeple- 
Morden, Royston, had a small but very choice col¬ 
lection of meritorious varieties set up with taste and 
judgment. (Small Silver Medal.) 
Mr. R. Bolton, Warton, Carnforth, had one of the 
best Sweet Pea groups in the show. It was not the 
largest, but the blooms were large and strong- 
good in every respect. (Large Silver Medal.) 
Messrs. Webb & Sons, Royal Seedsmen, Stour¬ 
bridge, took uncommon pains to arrange what 
proved to be one of the foremost groups in the ex¬ 
hibition. The collection filled three sides of a 
square, and was bounded at the back with a back¬ 
ground covered with white and blue muslin. The 
collection was large and of first-rate merit, the 
blooms being strong and fresh on the second day. 
(Silver Gilt Medal.) 
Mr. L. H. Ching, The Crescent Nurseries, Forty 
Hill, Enfield, N., had a very smart collection of 
highly-coloured Sweet Peas. In a small space, Mr. 
Ching arranged a collection comprising a very large 
amount of varieties. (Small Silver Medal.) 
Mr. F. C. Fowle, Devon Chrysanthemum Nur¬ 
sery, Teignmouth, and 55, Maddox Street, Bond 
Street, London, also came out well in the non-com¬ 
petitive groups. He is evidently a good cultivator 
and skilful in arranging. (Small Silver Medal). 
THE CONFERENCE. 
On Friday afternoon the first of the conference 
papers was delivered in the Board Room, Crystal 
Palace, by Mr. S. B. Dicks, the chair being occu¬ 
pied by Mr R. Wilscn-Ker, of Messrs. R. P. Ker & 
Sons, Liverpool. There was a moderate attendance. 
As the whole of the papers may yet be published in 
pamphlet form, we merely give a summary of 
them. 
History of the Sweet Pea. 
One thing the conference ought to do, said Mr. 
Dicks, was to set at rest the confusion about the 
native habitat of the plant. The earliest mention 
of a Sweet Pea dates back to 1695 when Father 
Cupani, an Italian monk, described the Lathyrus 
odoratus, now so-called, in his “ Hortus Catholicus." 
This Father Cupani who figures so conspicuously in 
early references to the Sweet Pea, was born in 1557 
and became a monk in 1681. In addition to theo¬ 
logical works, he prepared the " Hortus Catholicus ’’ 
above mentioned. Even in early times there were 
doubts about the native country of the Sweet Pea. 
Sicily, of course, has always been justly maintained 
as its home, but confusion exists about a variety 
having come from Ceylon. No species of Lathyrus 
has been found there since strict search has been 
made. One named Sprenger, of Sicily, writing on 
the matter, said he thought that the white form of 
Painted Lady might be native of CeyloD Mr. 
Dicks mentioned the various instances of early 
notice by Plukenet, Petiver, Ray, Burmann and 
others, and dilated on some of the earliest and most 
important varieties which all along have had an im¬ 
portant bearing on the Sweet Peas of later days. 
Thus Luscombe's Black, Invincible Scarlet, Lord 
Anson’s Blue, &c., were particularised. But as 
these are mentioned in " The Evolution of the Sweet 
Pea" we may pass them in the meantime. The 
paper was thoroughly exhaustive and well expressed. 
The Classification of Sweet Peas. 
This very important subject, and one which will 
have the greatest effect on the future of this flower, 
now for the first time officially classified as a 
Florist’s Flower, was taken in hand and dealt with 
by Mr. W. P. Wright. Though his paper.was pre¬ 
pared in printed form, Mri Wright contented him. 
self with a verbal resume of his classification 
system. 
First of all he divides Sweet Peas into two main 
classes—the first with erect standard, the second 
hooded, a type he considered inferior. 
In its youthful state the Sweet Pea is naturally 
hooded ; when fully matured it may be erect (some 
varieties never have erect standards, e g., Lady Nina 
Balfour, Chancellor, Mr. Sankey, Lovely, &c.), and 
when fading it generally again becomes hooded The 
hooded flower then, though it may look pretty and 
pleasing, is still to be regarded as an inferior form. 
The hooding is generally the result of flimsiness. 
Between these two types there are intermediate 
forms, " half hooders," like Blanche Burpee and 
Sadie Burpee. There are also revolute forms, but 
these are bound to be discarded. 
It comes to this, then, that probably only two 
forms will be retained—the erect and the hooded 
Mr. Wright’s summary of the points of a perfect 
Sweet Pea are these :— 
“ The standard must be erect, well rounded, 
smooth at the edge, free from notch or serrature, 
and not less than i \ in. across. 
" The wings must be about half the size of the 
standard, spreading at the base, but slightly folded 
and hooded at the top, so as to hide the tip of the 
keel. 
" The colours, whether self or parti, should be 
clear and well defined 
" There should be at least two perfect flowers on 
a stem. 
» Colour.— Colour must play an important part 
