May 23, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
445 
Letters to the Editor. 
ignored when staged against either Alderman or Duke of Albany, 
and these have to be poor examples indeed to go under. Yet 
we do occasionally see a preference for the Gladstone elsewhere. 
A good sample of Alderman weighs about twenty-eight single 
Peas to one ounce, Gladstone thirty-two ; so in the matter of 
weight alone there is a gain of the former, with pods containing 
nine to ten Peas to the Gladstone’s ten and eleven respectively. 
Therefore number of Peas here, then, should have no bearing 
whatever. Straightness of pod is also lost to Gladstone, which is 
sadly lacking, some of the pods very often kicking up their 
heels, almost performing a circle. 
Curvature arrangements truly look nice to some judges, when 
nestling around parsley cones with their fronts to backs. 
Colour and bloom are about balanceable, but when we come to 
quality—and this is the A1 consideration in any vegetable pro¬ 
duct—there is no comparison. Alderman is far and away the 
best, having that distinct marrow-fat flavour so desirable to any 
epicurean’s palate, cooked or uncooked, unless some judge or other 
wdio is too well seasoned with tobacco may not have got that good 
taste to discriminate betwixt a municipal official and a grand 
parliamentary hand. However, in any case, one does not wish to 
blacken their “ peasful ” characters. And to those who have a 
few of either sort coming nicely up now, a sprinkling of soot on 
the surface soil around them will be most beneficial, as well as 
drive off slugs and snails, which will now be voting and devoting 
attention to them. B. Lockwood. 
Onosma albo-roseum. (See p. 443.) 
Cut Flowers in the Home. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir, —In view of the increasing demand for cut flowers, and 
that prizes are offered by horticultural societies for essays on the 
best way to use them for the decoration of the home, it might 
be well to inquire what advantage or educative effect this 
custom has for its votaries. I can conceive the cheering effect a 
few choice cut flowers tastefully arranged in the city home have 
on the members of the family when they return home from the 
desk, the loom, or the forge. ' These cut flowers may be the most 
they see of the beauties of the vegetable kingdom. Still more 
cheering must these flowers be to those confined to the house 
through bad health. 
Cut flowers are, however, but a poor substitute to seeing them 
growing in a natural way. I sympathise very much with the 
city dweller who has to be satisfied with this fragmentary and 
imperfect way of enjoying the beauties of plant life. Cut flowers, 
as we often see them arranged, can give very little idea of the 
plants of which they formed a part, and those who only see 
flowers in a cut state miss much that is educative, interesting, 
and enjoyable in flowers. 
The scientific person likes to see how the external and internal 
forces make the plant what it is. The horticulturist likes to see 
his or her plants growing. Arranging cut flowers in the home is 
Exhibition Peas: Alderman v. The Gladstone. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
Sir,— One is now and again confronted with the question, 
Which of these two is the best for exhibition purposes ! There 
never ought to be but one answer— Alderman. And should any 
doubt exist—why, then grow both. Then you are free to piay 
into the whims and fancies of the men most likely to adjudicate, 
and show accordingly. ... 
With most good judges around here Gladstone is simply 
Fruit Growing and Orchard Planting. 
To the Editor of The Gardening World. 
we 
Sjk,—Y our correspondent, Mr. Peebles, in his further contri¬ 
bution on this subject, very carefully avoids the interrogations 
I put to him in a former article, and fails to give the informa¬ 
tion asked for, but instead makes more fallacious statements. 
What assertions I have made that are not in his way of thinking 
we can pass. 
He is evidently quite satisfied and pleased with himself at 
being able to give the number of trees to plant an acre at a yard 
apart, but to make it rather more prominent he says, "Any 
schoolboy could do that. ” He falls into the same mistake I would 
expect a schoolboy to do, viz., he makes no allowance for roads 
or paths. Have another try, please. Then, again, he evidently 
thinks there was no explanation necessary as to how the Apples 
wot to the centre of his thicket, and he brings the evidence of the 
blind man who saw them, and the dumb man who said they 
CTi-ew there, to prove his previous statement. Most people would 
naturally have thought they would, instead, have been fairly 
evenly distributed over the whole of his thicket, and not all in 
the centre of it. Write common sensei, please, so that 
may learn as we read. 
Again, the idea he gives us of his memory about 
the plot of trees referred to in the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society’s Gardens is not very edifying, 
but very faint. Would it surprise him to learn 
that there was more fruit gathered from that 
plot of dwarf trees than was gathered from the 
whole garden in which he was employed at the 
time. 
Further, he says he would not think of compar¬ 
ing that plot with an orchard. Where does the 
difference come m ? Whether the plot be forty 
yards square or seventy yards square, the man- 
Wment and cultural details to ensure success 
would be identical. He has evidently lost valu¬ 
able information in overlooking that experi¬ 
mental plot. 
Before he poses as the spokesman of “ vas. 
crowds of the people,” and expresses so freely 
what the opinions of others are on this question, 
let him first be sure he understands what he. is 
writing about. I lay no claim, nor have laid any 
claim, as a pioneer of this method of planting, 
but the method will be, and is, increasing, as ^ 
previously stated, is a fact. Does Mr. Peebles doufcn 
my word that such a system is practised, when he 
asks how many acres I have seen treated in this 
way? If so, his question would be best left un¬ 
answered. but it may interest others besides him 
to know that there has passed under my own 
observation hundreds of acres. If he is on 
holiday and should be in Berks he can have a look 
in and see Mr. Webb at Beenham as an example 
of the svstem, and those who have seen this gentle- 
man’s fruit staged in competition will not hesitate a moment as 
X results of his practice. Then at Buckieburfie canjook 
in and see Mr. Layley and see what he is doing in this way, and it 
Mr. Peebles is not then convinced that there is something in 
this mad method of growing I will be consMerably disappmnteck 
I have myself during the past winter superintended the plantm 0 
of-a great number of trees on the same principle 
The subject is a large and interesting one, bu < 
not have the brains to grasp it at once ; but even then there m y 
be hope for those who do not. If they wait and live loT1 g enou h 
they ril\ see others practising it, but they will be where they are 
often found—behind the times. 
