262 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
April 1, 1905. 
in general, may, in my opinion, be most .effectually maintained 
when the bottom ventilators of the houses are placed as near 
the around line as possible. Ventilators placed in such posi¬ 
tions will allow the influx of cold air to come in contact with 
the hot-water pipes, and thus it becomes warmed and rarified 
before reaching the foliage of the plants and intermingling 
with the general atmosphere of the house. 
Another point in favour of these box ventilators, as they are 
more familiarly termed, is that by careful attention a constant 
supply of fresh air may be afforded the occupants of the houses 
both by day and night, arid regardless of unfavourable outside 
conditions, when it would be unwise to afford air at the apex 
of tire house, or to open the front sashes. It. is largely due to 
the use of large sheets of glass in modern glazing that so much 
attention need now be paid to ventilating, as formerly, when 
small squares were used, there were more openings under the 
laps for small currents of air to pass both from within and 
without, and consequently a fairly good circulation of air was 
maintained. _. 0lDES ' 
The Finest Sweet Peas. 
It. is natural that when a flower becomes popular the num¬ 
ber of its varieties will greatly increase. The Sweet Pea rs 
no exception to this rule, for at the present time there are 
about three hundred distinct sorts, for the seedsman this 
state of affairs may be well, but for the sake of the smaller 
grower it is to be deplored. There are several reasons why 
one wishes for a decrease in the number of varieties. lire 
greatest is that many of these three hundred are now quite 
out of date, having been improved upon. One will naturally 
ask why these inferior sorts are grown. There aie several 
answers to this question. Perhaps the seed merchants are 
partly to blame for retaining them on their lists. There can, 
too, be little doubt that sentiment plays some part towards 
their retention. I believe, however, that some growers do not 
know which are really the best 'Sw r eet Peas. It is to help 
these that I write this article. Probably some of my readers 
are quite up to date in their knowledge of this flower ; even 
they, I feel sure, will be pleased to read the experience of 
another lover of the Sweet Pea, 
It is, of course, impossible to point to any one Sweet Pea 
and say that it is the finest of all the numerous varieties. In 
most cases, however, we can pick out a variety from those 
of one colour, and say that it is the finest of that shade. This 
I will do, and as a further guide I will attempt to place the 
various classes in order, dealing with those first which are 
the most distinct and beautiful, and are best represented. 
Between the first six or seven classes there is little difference, 
but if we follow the lead of the National Sweet Pea Society, 
and divide the varieties into nineteen classes, the reason for 
my method of treating the subject will be more apparent. 
"Dorothy E.ckford is by far the finest white Sweet Pea. In¬ 
deed. I should not advise any small grower to cultivate another 
variety of this class. If, however, others are needed, Blanche 
Burpee and Sadie Burpee are its nearest rivals. Mont Blanc 
is valuable because of its precocity in blooming. 
There are, perhaps, more distinct varieties of pink Sweet 
Peas than there are of any other colour. “ Bolton’s Pink ” 
and Countess Spencer are rivals for the premier position in 
this section. Both are giants in size, rich in colour, and good 
in form. The latter, however, is very fickle, being extremely 
liable to sport. At the present time the name Countess 
Spencer could conveniently be applied to the group of Sweet 
Peas which share the characteristic form of the original 
variety bearing that name. Several light pink selections from 
this group have already been made, but Gladys Unwin is the 
only one which I have yet seen on the market. This variety, 
although not a descendant of Countess Spencer, is in shape 
a counterpart of that variety. Its colour, however, is lighter, 
and it is warranted not to sport. My opinion is that the palm 
in the pink section will this year be shared by Bolton’s Pink 
and Gladys Unwin. The next best varieties in order of merit 
are Mrs. Knights Smith, Janet. Scott, Prima Donna, and 
Lovely. These are all very fine. 
There can be no doubt that Romolo Piazzani is the finest 
blue Sweet Pea, As this may be beyond the purse of many 
growers, I should advise the substitution of either Navy Blue 
or Countess Cadogan. The former is a very fine dark flower 
but if grown for exhibition it needs shading. 
Scarlet Gem and King Edward the Seventh are by far the 
best in the scarlet and crimson classes respectively. As a 
variety of general utility the latter is hard to beat. In shape, 
colour, size, and all otber good points it is well to the fore 
Indeed, it is a variety which all should grow. Scarlet Gem 
cannot be thus spoken of. It is good in size and form, and 
it is almost sensational in its brilliancy. Although not so 
vivid as that of the scarlet Geranium, its colour, before its 
advent, had never been seen in a Sweet Pea, It is also very 
liable to burn in the sun. Another drawback is that as a 
rule it only bears two flowers on one stem. In spite of these 
defects, however, it is well worth growing, and those who can 
shade it efficiently should gain much pleasure by cultivating 
it. Although distinctly inferior to the two last-mentioned 
varieties, Salopian and, perhaps, Mars should be given a place 
in larger collections. 
Lavender is, perhaps, the most admired of all shades of 
Sweet Peas, ladies, in particular, being very enthusiastic over 
it. This being so, all should grow a good supply of Ladv 
Grizel Hamilton, the best in the section. This variety pos¬ 
sesses many good qualities, and is sure to give satisfaction to 
all who grow it. Lady Nina Balfour and Countess of Radnor 
are two other beautiful varieties, the former being shaded 
dove-grey on a lavender ground, and the latter being nearlv 
a self. 
Maroon Sweet Peas are very fine, and the colour of some 
varieties is extremely rich. Black Michael, one of this year’s 
Eckford novelties, is said to be a distinct advance on the older 
soils in this section. Those who prefer varieties which have 
stood the test of time should choose from Black Knight and 
Othello. They are both giants in size, and are fine in all 
respects. The former is veiy dark and is certainly the more 
popular of the two. The latter, however, is also magnificent; 
its rich chocolate colour being very handsome, and not seen 
in any other Sweet Pea. 
(To be continued .) 
Prunus triloba. 
The double form of this Chinese species is one of the most 
showy of the genus, and a use can be found for. it in most 
gardens, for it is useful alike for beds in the open ground, for 
planting against a wall with a south or west aspect, or for 
forcing. P. triloba, belongs to the Armeuiaca, or Apricot section 
of the genus, and makes, when mature, a bush 8 ft. or 10 ft. 
high. The type itself is a showy bush, for when at its best 
i't is covered with pretty, delicate pink blossoms which are 
from b in. to f in. across. The type cannot, however, be com¬ 
pared to the double form, for in this case the blooms are 
upward of 1 j in. across, a. lovely shade of pink in colour, and 
borne profusely from the whole length of the previous year's 
wood. The fact of the blossoms being double is sufficient to 
vouch for their standing qualities, and they last in good condi 
tion; much longer than those of the type’. Whichever way it 
may be grown it is advisable to shorten the flowering branches 
to within a few buds of the base a.s soon as the blooms are 
over. By this means fewer young shoots are made, these 
being correspondingly longer and stronger than a greater 
quantity would have been. When planted in good soil it is 
no uncommon thing to have year-old wood from 2 ft. to 3 ft. 
in length clothed from end to end with flowers. 
Out of doors the natural blossoming time is April, but with 
a slight amount of forcing established plants in pots may be 
had in bloom from the middle of February onwards. Speci¬ 
mens which have been subjected to forcing should have their 
branches shortened after the flowers are over, and be kept in 
a moderate amount of heat until growth is active again. 
W. D. 
