830 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 3rd, 1903. 
eighteen fine fruits. It is unnecessary to dilate upon the 
qualities of this fine old-fashioned and indispensable variety, 
although we may remind readers that although it is often 
classed amongst kitchen Apples, it ist also excellent for dessert 
purposes during November and December. The usual custom 
is to select fruits of small or medium size for dessert, purposes, 
using the very large ones for the kitchen. It keeps in good 
condition till January, and as an old orchard tree it is ex¬ 
tremely fruitful. 
Seedling Pentstemons and Verbenas. 
During the past few years' a marvellous improvement has 
been made in the strains of florist and other flowers raised 
from seed. Now it is possible to obtain flowers a® good and 
reliable as in years gone past from propagated stock. 
The value of being able to obtain seed of the highest standard 
and to raise young, vigorous, stock cannot be over-estimated, 
seeing there is so much more vigour and a, better constitution. 
In propagating things from cuttings, often the constitution 
is much reduced by the treatment they receive, and after a few 
seasons; the stock has a, poor and puny look, and hardly pays 
to grow. Everyone must have observed how much more 
vigorous things are from seed (Nature’s true law) than from 
cuttings, and the only way to keep, up a good healthy stock of 
many things, both tender and hardy, is to occasionally raise 
from seed. 
In my early days we used to raise our stock of Cinerarias, 
Gloxinias (and I have seen herbaceous Calceolarias tried) from 
cuttings ; but this Avas a poor Avay compared to a good strain 
of seed. I am aware such reliable strains could not be obtained 
as now, and I am convinced that it pays better to raise many 
tender plants from seed every year than to obtain an annual 
stock from cuttings. 
This has been brought more forcibly to my notice this year 
than ever. Wishing to give up growing many things generally 
obtained for the open garden from cuttings, I resolved to try 
various kinds from seed, Pentstemons and Verbenas amongst 
them. Of the former I haA 7 e groAvn, a, few kinds from cuttings 
for years, being some selected by the late Mr. Wildsmith from 
a, named collection. Early in the year I obtained a, supply of 
seed from Yeitch. This wasi sown in a close frame, the seed¬ 
lings potted or put into boxes;, treating them as tender plants 
till early in June, when they were planted out, into good soil. 
Now they are- in bloom nothing could be more lovely, being 
most varied in colour, with long spikes and large, open pen¬ 
cilled or plain-throated flowers, and are, most of them, equal 
to the northern growers’ named kinds. When grown thinly on 
a carpet of Primula obeonica the; bright-coloured ones show off 
well. / 
I am glad to see the Verbena is coming into favour again. 
I have never given up growing them, and from cuttings, till a 
few years ago,, when I adopted seed with more or less good 
results. This year our group of plants' from Veitch’s seed are 
very good, and although not, so uniform in growth as from 
uttings, this is not of much importance as, we use them. I 
n sending herewith both Pentstemons and Verbenas for your 
jpiniou, Mr. Editor. J. C., F., Chard. 
[Our correspondent sent us a boxful of Pentstemons which 
really shoAved a great amount of variety, as he states. Some 
of the stems Avere light and graceful, Avliile others had massive 
cymes; of flowers all along their length, quite in accordance with 
the fine strains that are now being distributed in gardens. A 
very pretty one was that with a white tube and pretty pink 
lamina. The intense crimson and red of others was a notable 
feature of the collection, and some were as beautifully pencilled 
in the throat- as could be desired. Others represented dark 
plum-purple colours, but though these may be serviceable for 
the sake of variety, we very much prefer the lighter colours, 
such as rose, pink, and the; dark crimson, and red sorts. Some 
of them presented quite a decided blue tint. 
V e also have a hankering after those varieties which are not 
too croAvded, but present their flowers gracefully all along the 
stems, but if weight and size of flowers are desired the de¬ 
corative value of slender-stemmed varieties must be foregone. 
This, of course, is a matter of taste, and we admit that there 
was sufficient, variety of colour amongst them to- please the 
most fastidious-. 
It need not be forgotten, however, that the strain can be 
still further improved by the selection of those- varieties to 
which the grower gives special preference, and by raising seeds 
from the veiy best type® of the same. Very pretty was a rather 
small-flowered variety with so brightly coloured flowers as to 
well merit the name of scarlet. Avhile the white throat was 
Pyramid Grosse Mignonne Peach, carrying 60 fruits. 
(See p. 829.) 
beautifully pencilled with the same colour. We found many 
varieties amongst them which Ava should set- apart for im¬ 
provement by seed sowing and selection, as above mentioned. 
The Verbenas represented Ado-let, dark purple, maroon, car¬ 
mine, and crimson-scarlet shades, so- that the grower coulc 
remain content, Avit-h such varieties, or select- those most suita bit 
to his taste. 
A good handful of Primroses and Polyanthuses, redolent o: 
the sweet scent- of these old-fashioned subjects, shows that the] 
h'a-ve already commenced their career of blooming in Somerset 
The primroses were of veiy fine crimson, blue and purph 
colours- forming a, A r ery good strain. The Polyanthuses a-ls< 
included white, bronze, and various shades of yellow.—E d.] 
Sloes in London. —The first Sloes of the season were on sale i 
London on the 24th ult., but with the grey bloom mostly rubber 
off. In mediaeval times they were made into comfits with honey 
