158 
THE GARDENING WORLD . 
February 25, 1905. 
Blue Fern-leaved holds a- similar position with regard to Read¬ 
ing Blue. About thirty years ago the Fern-leaved forms were 
more of a novelty, and induced many people to grow them as 
named varieties, but the care taken in keeping tha varieties 
distinct at Beading shows that any particular type can be fixed 
and obtained from seeds just as well as any other. Another 
well-tried and reliable variety with Fern-leaved foliage is Snow¬ 
drift, the flowers being produced in pyramidal trusses sur¬ 
mounting' the foliage with a mass of pure white. Another 
chaste variety with similar- foliagei is Purity, having large, pure 
white flowers, forming a beautiful contrast to the dark stems 
of the leaves. 
The .Giant strain, which has been fostered and nursed here 
for many years past, is characterised not' only by its large 
flowers and massive leaves, but by being distinctly later than 
any of the others which we have already mentioned. Even if 
sown at the same time as the others they maintain then period, 
as if their greater size and vigour required longer time to 
develop. The varieties are not so numerous as in the ordinary 
strain, but those who like variety and have time to wait for 
the development' of these Giants will be well rewarded. White 
is always desirable, and tins is well supplied by Giant White, 
which has massive, pure flowers, while the plant is of compact 
and sturdy habit. 
Giant Pink is even regarded as a finer Primula than the 
above on account of its great size, good substance, and soft 
carmine-pink flowers. The darkest of this strain is certainly 
Giant Crimson, with richly coloured flowers intensifying in 
the centre! and produced in large trusses carried well above 
the foliage. Distinctly of another shade is Giant Terra Cotta, 
with well-fonned flowers of great substance produced in masses 
above the foliage. 
The Star Primulas are well kept up to the standard of merit 
with regard to size as when first sent out. The chief differ¬ 
ence in the matter of improvement is in the way of fresh 
colours or more varieties. 
The dominating characteristic of the whole strain consists of 
long, slender flower-stems, rising well above the foliage and 
producing tier upon tier of flowers somewhat after the style 
of Primula japonica. The habit of the plant is, however, more 
elegant and more distinctly of artistic and decorative value on 
account of the free and easy grace of the plant, ho attempt 
has been made to increase the size of the flowers or strength 
of the stems, and therefore the strain has not been reduced in 
decorative value by the production of large flowers by crossing 
with the other strain. This is as it- should be 1 , because any 
attempt to mix the strain with the ordinary one merely de- 
strovs the character which gained popular favour for this par¬ 
ticular strain when first introduced in 1895. They have the 
same relation to the florist’s strain of the Chinese Primula as 
Cineraria stellata- has to the heavy and dense habited plants 
and massive flowers of the florist’s Cineraria. 
Having said this, we need only mention that varieties are 
now obtainable under the names of Pink Star, Blue Star, Car¬ 
mine Star, Mont Blanc Star, White Star, and White Queen 
Star. Ruby Star, of which we gave a coloured illustration on 
March 14th, 1903, is now being offered as a novelty for this 
year. It is the darkest of all of the Star Primula' strain, and 
may be described as of a brilliant ruby-red, somewhat 
approaching Crimson King, but- certainly not crimson. Anothei 
elegant variety now offered as a novelty is Primrose Queen 
Star, having pale yellow flowers with a white margin, and 
therefore one of the nearest approaches to a yellow Chinese 
Primula, which may yet be realised by careful and skilful 
working. 
As these' Primulas are grown at Reading for the production 
of seed, they are always sown comparatively late with the 
object of getting them in bloom well into the new year, when 
the light will be much better and therefore help to> assure the 
maintenance of the standard of the different varieties. The 
plants in question were not sown before July 20th last year, 
and they are now in 48-size' pots. As we previously said, one 
good truss of bloom is sufficient for a plant, so that 48-size 
pots are large enough for seed-producing plants. 
Sweet Pea Countess Spencer. 
I was pleased to observe the note on Countess Spencer Sweet 
Pea by S. F. Drayson on page 96. 
As he remarks, ru,uck has been said respecting this variety, 
and if I remember rightly, it was first noticed in this journal 
by a correspondent two years ago. The unreliability of 
Countess Spencer is proverbial, and, as stated by Mr. D., it 
mattered not if it were grown apart from other sorts. 
In my case I was not so fortunate as to even secure 40 per 
cent., 16 per cent, being the utmost. 
The matter need cause little surprise in one sense, for, being 
a sport from Prima Donna., Countess Spencer would naturally 
require fixing, and apparently this was not done to any great 
extent, too much eagerness in the introduction being displayed. 
As is well known the small stock of seed was sent to Cali¬ 
fornia to be grown on in 1903, and probably the climate 
assisted in making the Countess what she is. Maybe also a 
great quantity of cuttings were taken. There is also the pos¬ 
sibility that several other causes still further increased the 
sportiveness, and it must be admitted that there was an extra¬ 
ordinary quantity of the Pea on offer- last year. 
One of the finest growers in the country when writing me 
last spring remarked : “ Don’t be surprised to see an extra 
large number of sports.” It is a mystery where everyone has 
got the stock, and considering that many of the so-called 
sports were in no way like Countess, yet bearing a strong re¬ 
semblance to Miss Willmott, Duchess of Sutherland, Prima 
Donna, and the like, I would fancy that some got mixed. 
The fact that Mr. Eckford has a pure stock, and that Gladys 
Unwin, also a sport from Prima Donna, is perfectly fixed, 
seems passing strange. • 
That the Countess really does sport I can quite believe, for 
an American friend tells me he had several, all of which possess 
the same character as the Countess. 
Another American friend has given the Countess the title of 
Orchid-flowered, and the whole batch of sports, including pink, 
rose, orange, and salmon are being offered as Orchid-flowered 
seedlings of Countess Spencer; but it still remains a marvel 
to. me how so much seed came about, for if I remember rightly, 
there were only 3 lb. or 4 lb. in existence before 1903 entered. 
In America the Countess has caused a furore, and the breaks 
from it are looked upon as the forerunners of a. new race. 
Two appear to have been named, viz., a light pink, called 
Florence Spencer, and Mrs. Sydenham, a Lady Marie Currie 
shade. 
Under the circumstances, it would appear that the N.S.P.S. 
will have some bother with these sports if everyone names 
them. 
It is quite apparent that we are likely to have a great host 
of Sweet Pea novelties, and I am daily expecting a number of 
U.S. sorts. 
Apart from Flora Norton and Mrs. Higginson, there are 
Speckled Beauty, Nymphaea, Sunset, Sunrise, Bridesmaid, and 
others. That they will be welcome cannot be denied, provid¬ 
ing they are distinct, constant, and good. 
All novelty Peas are not so, however, and one feels like 
shrugging when he thinks of the vines rooted out in past 
years. Apart from growing the novelty, there is always the 
possibility of sporting, and I can but regret the season of 1903, 
when the most wonderful striped sports slid out of existence, 
owing to constant wet rotting the seed pods. 
Such a monstrous rose-stripe a.s came out of Golden Rose 1 
never expect to see again, nor the extraordinary red and white 
standard blue and white-winged break that came out of Cali¬ 
fornian-grown Senator. AL ’ 
Artificial Production of Freaks among Plants Some 
recount has been placed before the French Academy of Sciences 
if some experiments amongst plants. The experiments sa 
hat by splitting young tendrils male flowers may be tuime 
nto female; the white rays of the Daisy become yellowJike 
hose of the disc, and the three leaflets of a Clover may be made 
:o become four. 
