February 4, 1905. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
95 
Novelties from Near and Far. 
Novelties are ever interesting, and most gardeners like to 
try new things. 
In vegetables there are several interesting things, the 
Willow-leaved Beet promising to be the best ornamental Beet 
ever sent out. The leaves are long and narrow and curl over. 
The dark crimson of the foliage will make a great display in 
the bed and border. 
The Marvel Runner Bean is declared to be the greatest 
advance in its class, being distinct and a tremendous cropper. 
The Pilot Pea is expected to take a leading place, as it is 
early and a great cropper. It was given an Award of Merit 
by the R.H.S., so perhaps it will prove its claim to being the 
finest of all round-seeded Peas. 
In Tomatos an American novelty is making great headway. 
It lias been out a couple of seasons, but is not known here. 
Its name is Spark's Earli’ana, and it lias proved itself the 
earliest and best Tomato in America for market work. 
It originated in New Jersey, and so strongly has 
it caught on that from Swedesboro’ Station alone 
sixty-six loads were sent off on July 19th and 20th, 
1901. 
On the first day thirty-six cars were despatched, 
their load consisting of 22,600 crates, something 
like 11,000 bushels. These Tomatos were despatched 
to all parts, some going as far as Canada in refrigera¬ 
tor cars. 
When growers in a large area like South Jersey 
drop all other varieties to take up a new one', there 
is surely something in it. 
A wonderfully fine forcing Lettuce hails from 
Germany, and for early work this new May Queen 
is said to be without a rival. Americans are great 
on Lettuces, but they candidly admit that May Queen 
beats them all the way as an early. 
Horse-radish has always been Horse-radish, but a 
new sort has now appeared under the name of 
Malinor Kren. It was found in Bohemia in 1899, 
and is being pushed for the first time after thorough 
tests made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
It makes roots as large as Parsnips and grows more 
rapidly than the old form. 
Spined Cucumbers are very popular in America, 
and one highly spoken of is Fordlicok Famous, a 
large-growing, splendid-flavoured variety. I tested 
a sample of this last year, and can speak for its 
delicious quality. 
Nowhere in the world is the Sweet Corn grown for 
a vegetable to the extent that it is in U.S., and apart 
from a very fine white-kernelled variety named 
White Evergreen, there is a new second early sort 
named Howling Mob, which is being sent out on trial. Its 
extraordinary name was given by its raiser, who is a trucker, 
and before he disposed of his stock he used to sell his crop to 
storemen. 
His appearance in the market with the first cobs for some 
years past was the signal for a- howling mob of storemen 
clamouring for a supply, and so the new Com became known 
as Howling Mob. It is said to be the most remarkably large 
Sweet Com ever raised, and is the work of ten years’ selection. 
From France comes a new Chinese Mustard, with beautifully 
laciniated leaves. The edges of the leaves are red, making it 
ornamental as well as useful. This class of vegetable is cooked 
like Spinach, but it bears a crop of leaves throughout' the 
summer. 
In the way of Potatos there are several promising things 
apart from the large number that have been talked about 
during the winter. 
Superlative, now being sent out by Sutton’s, is, I believe, 
the seedling purchased by them at the National Potato Show. 
Being acquainted with its merits before it became Sutton’s 
property, I know it to be a first-class thing. 
Duchess of Norfolk, from the great Norwich firm, is one cf 
the most beautiful Potatos that could grace a show-board. It 
is a second early round, and lias the great point of quality. 
From Reading comes a new pair—namely. Invincible and 
May Beauty. The former is a red counterpart of Chas. Fidler 
on all points ; the latter is an extremely early kidney, and an 
advance on the Asldeaf type, from which it is a cross. 
Solanum Commersonii may be reckoned as anew thing, and 
doubtless many will take advantage of it now that it is being 
offered. We have heard a great deal of this disease-resisting, 
frost-proof, sweet-flavoured, wet-land Potato which will crop 40 
tons to the acre. 
(To be continued.) 
Hamamelis mollis. 
We are now in a position to give an illustration of this new 
species of At itch-Hazel. In 1885 it was unknown to science, as 
no record is given in the “Index Kewensis.” In 1887, how¬ 
ever, it was discovered in China by Dr. Henry, and lias been 
added to the collections of those who are ardent admirers of 
shrubs. Our illustration shows a plant about 21 ft. high, 
which lias been in bloom in the pleasure grounds, Kew, since 
the beginning of the year. AA'e have no particularly warm 
winter to record in order to account for the early appearance 
of the flowers, but by comparison with H. arborea we may sav 
it is one of the earliest to bloom, if we are to except the 
American H. virginica, which blooms in the autumn, from wood 
produced during the same period. The flowers of H. mollis 
are of relatively large size, golden-yellow, and perhaps less 
crumpled than in some of the other species. The very large 
leaves and the downy under-surface serve to distinguish this 
plant from the three Japanese forms in cultivation. 
A Fixe Phai.aexopsis.— At the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, Lord Rothschild, Tring Park, exliibite 1 
a photograph of a remarkable plant of P. schilleriana, which 
was originally purchased at the dispersal of the collection of 
Constable-Burton in 1881. AA'hen photographed the plant had 
seven main branches and eleven secondary ones, bearing eighty- 
eight expanded flowers and eleven buds. 
