634 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
August 6, 1904. 
we have had several seedless varieties for years. We refer, of 
course, to Vitis vinifera, usually spoken of as the European 
Grape, and which originated in the regions lying to 'the south 
of the Caucasus, where it still grows wild in great luxuriance, 
X o’t all of the seedless Grapes are very extensively cultivated. 
A fairly handsome one named Black Monukka produces berries 
and bunches of appreciable size, yet. it has, notwithstanding, 
never become popular in European cultures, showing that 
larger and finer bunches and berries for table purposes still 
take precedence of a seedless Grape. The Currant of Com¬ 
merce is a, small seedless Grape extensively cultivated for'the 
purpose of drying the berries,. The area over which it may 
be grown with success is apparently, however, very limited, 
being confined to Corinth and neighbouring parts of Gieece. 
The Sultana is another seedless Grape used for the production 
of raisins. For” cultivation in hot houses neither of these 
three seedless Grapes seems 1 to be capable of taking the place 
of the large-berried and coarsely flavoured Gras Colman. 
Our American contemporary above referred to speaks of 
the seedless Plum, and as we recorded this variety some time 
ao-o. we believe that stoneless would be a more correct term 
than seedless, the thickened and woody part of the centre of 
the fruit being greatly reduced and almost wanting. We also 
recently referred to the alleged seedless Apple, recently pro¬ 
duced ini the United States, but thei description of that was so 
worded that we can scarcely conceive of the production of a 
fruit without flowers, but the raiser not, being a, botanist may 
not have used the proper expression to convey his actual 
meaning. Some time ago a, new Apple raised in this country 
was described by some of onr contemporaries as seedless, but 
the fruit which we bad certainly contained a number of good 
seeds, so that this alleged seedless: condition is only relative. 
Some fruits may have a few or no perfect seed® at all, while 
others', probably more perfectly fertilised, produce perfect 
seeds in.greater or less numbers. That, is exactly the position 
occupied by . several older and well-known Apples, including 
Lord Suffield and several others of soft texture, and which are 
frequently in a, more or less seedless condition,, probably owing 
to circumstances at the time the trees are in bloom. 
We have previously alluded to the seedless Orange, the' 
name' being applied to' a variety of relatively recent discovery. 
We believe, however, that several of the varieties, of Orange 
are tending in this direction, as any quantity of Oranges may 
be obtained in our markets in almost a seedless condition, 
quite apart from the seedless Orange: so named. The D. Lan- 
dreth Seed Company refers to seedless Water Melons, Tomato®, 
Cantaloupes, Cucumbers, Squashes, Peppers, Pumpkins, and 
Egg Plants. We very much doubt the permanent advantage 
that, wonld arise from having seedless varieties of all these 
plants. It would mean that they would have to be kept 
alive: by taking cuttings and rooting them in, the stove. 
In this country most of these Cucurbits are too little of a 
necessity to be worth the trouble of continual propagation from 
cuttings Some cultivators take: them up for a year or two 
and then drop them. Those who do cultivate them evidently 
appreciate the readiness with which they can lie raised from 
seeds and so long as they continue to grow them they pro- 
pagate them in this way. After the fruits are cut they occupy 
very little space until it is -time to propagate the plants again 
If they had to be perpetuated by means of cuttings they would 
take more hothouse space than many gardeners could afford. 
We mio-ht refer to the Cucumber as being practically a seed¬ 
less plant when grown solely for the kitchen. It, is' also very 
a commodating, inasmuch a,s fruits can be produced for table 
use without fertilisation, natural or artificial. This is very 
convenient for unskilled cultivators who may be capable: of 
producing good Cucumbers for table, yet are unable' to produce 
Melons When seeds of Cucumbers are required, the flowers 
have to be band-pollinated. The only chance for perfectly 
seedless fruits of this or practically any other kind would 
depend upon their being superior to already existing types, 
otherwise there would be no advantage in perpetuating them 
at, an increase of trouble. Some varieties of Potato® have 
already readied a seedless condition—that is, if they still exist. 
We remember that a round white variety known as Early Glea- 
bei'vie always dropped its flowers before the expansion of the 
buds', consequently there was no opportunity in that case for¬ 
getting new varieties. 
A very common, garden vegetable that has reached a seedless 
condition is the Horseradish. Year after year it flowers pro¬ 
fusely, but fails to set any seed. Nevertheless, although the 
plant is not a native of Britain, it has succeeded in establishing 
itself in great quantities in various parts of the country siniplv 
by means of its fleshy, tliong-like roots, eveiy bit of which will 
grow if allowed to come in contact with 'the soil. All the plants 
which have succeeded in establishing themselves outside 
gardens may be considered a,s mere outcasts of the garden or 
derelict, cultivation. Several of the specie's of Allium both 
akin to the Leek and to the Onion have attained more or less 
to 1 a, seedless condition. Instead of flowers, they produce heads 
of small bulbils which get scattered about and so reproduce 
the plant in a vegetative way. A native weed, known as A. 
vinale compactum, rarely produces a jierfect flower. 
If we return, to the case of flowering plants, we have some 
varieties of the Chinese Primula which produce a few seeds 
with great difficulty. Cultivators have frequently shown us 
that by going a little further, in this: direction it would be au 
easy matter to get entirely barren varieties of this Primula. 
This state has been most nearly reached in. those varieties 
which have very large and beautiful flowers. We do not, think 
a seedless condition, of the Chinese Primula would be of any 
advantage:, and the same applies to many other garden flowers 
which may be raised by the hundred with very little trouble 
or expense. 
Amongst wild plants we meet with a few that have, reached 
a, more or less seedless condition, but they have other means of 
reproducing, themselves. We refer to Ranunculus Ficaria, 
which produces small bulbils in the axils of the leaves, and can 
therefore reproduce itself in great numbers. Cardamine pra- 
tensis is sometimes mentioned as being seedless, though we are 
certain that it does produce good seeds occasionally. It, is 
frequently found in a double state which cannot produce seeds, 
and for some reason or other it has,-therefore' developed another 
method of increase, viz., by the production of small plantlets 
at the base of the leaflets. It. may be able to reproduce itself 
vegetatively in this way in situations; where seed production 
cannot be accomplished. A more decided instance of this 
occurs in Festuca. ovina vivipara,, which often occurs on the top 
of mountains where it is more convenient or possible to produce 
small plantlets from the inflorescence than seeds. 
Rose Electra. 
(See Supplement.) 
The first acquaintance we made with this beautiful rambling 
Rose was when it, was quite new, yet scarce and grown in pots. 
Since then those who have been taken with it have planted 
it in a proper situation and allowed to assume the natural 
habit, of this particular section. It lias proved a much finer 
and more effective variety than we could have imagined, 
judging from the plants grown in pot®. 
It wa-si raised by crossing Rosa multiflora, the original of the 
Polyantha Rose and William Allen Richardson, the well- 
known Noisette. The- flowers are semi-double and produced 
in, clusters of ten to twenty or more. The buds are pale 
apricot yellow, but when fully expanded the flowers are pale 
canary yellow, or more often creamy white, open in the centre, 
and about 2J in. wide. The leaflets ' are short, broad, and of 
a deep green. 
The best, plan of dealing with this Rose is to- select a position 
for it where it will have plenty of room to assume its natural 
size, for then, only will it flower with that profusion of which 
it is capable. It is a mistake of those who have undertaken 
rambling Rose® for the first time to attempt to limit them 
to a, small amount of space, thereby necessitating the cutting 
back of the long rambling stems. The natural habit of the 
