THE GARDENING WORLD. 
Sweet Peas. 
WORK FOR FEBRUARY. 
Although it is certainly a fact that those 
gardeners who are the most enthusiastic 
and who grow the newest varieties are the 
ones who obtain the most pleasure from 
the Sweet Pea, yet there are many who, 
from various reasons, are unable to grow 
any but the older and cheaper varieties. 
To meet their needs, I will give a selec¬ 
tion of the best, excluding all those in¬ 
troduced after the spring of 1906 and all 
those of which some stocks do not come 
true :—Dorothy Eckford, Miss Willmott 
or Bolton’s Pink, Gladys Unwin, Janet 
Scott, Helen Pierce, King Edward VII., 
Jeannie Gordon, Black -Knight, Mrs. 
Walter Wright, Lady Grizel Hamilton, 
Henry Eckford, Navy Blue, Agnes John¬ 
son, Phyllis Unwin, Romola Piazzani, 
America, and Hon. Mrs. E. Kenyon. 
These are all cheap and thoroughly re¬ 
liable from almost every source, Three 
varieties, better than those I have men¬ 
tioned, that ought to be grown by all, 
are : — Countess Spencer, which is almost 
the same as Enchantress and Paradise, 
Helen Lewis, and John Ingman, which 
are practically the same as George Her¬ 
bert. Those who have never been able 
to obtain true stocks of Countess Spencer 
and John Ingman should buy them under 
the names of Paradise and George Her¬ 
bert, as they may thus be more likely to 
get them true. 
Many gardeners cannot afford to pur¬ 
chase the current year’s novelties, but 
would like to try the best of last year’s. 
As the result of voting by members of 
the N.S.P.S., the following three were 
well in front of their rivals:—Nora Un¬ 
win, Mrs. Collier, and Frank Dolby. The 
second of these three varieties owes its 
position partly to the fact that almost all 
the leading seedsmen raised and offered 
a stock of it. The other two also were 
distributed by a leading wholesale house, 
but, nevertheless, great credit is due to 
Mr. Unwin, who raised them both. From 
the same raiser came also the fourth va¬ 
riety, A. J. Cook. Eckford’s Queen of 
Spain was next, and their Horace Wright 
was a few votes behind. About equal to 
the latter came Lord Nelson, which, in the 
opinion of manv. deserved a higher posi¬ 
tion, for it was chosen by the Floral Com¬ 
mittee of the N.S.P.S. as the best dark 
blue variety in commerce. It owes its 
low position to the fact that it was little 
grown last year. It may best be described 
as a more brilliantly coloured form of 
the old favourite, Navy Blue. I will not 
add to this list of six of last year’s novel¬ 
ties, for the most distinct and meritorious 
of the remainder were unfixed. All these 
came practically true, except Frank 
Dolby, which, with some growers threw 
a few rogues, but not enough to bar it 
from even the most select collection. 
Many growers had it quite true. 
Mrs. Hardcastle Sykes was distributed 
in 1906, but is still very scarce; it is a 
grand, considerably paler, form of Coun¬ 
tess Spencer, quite fixed. 
For those who want a dozen best varie¬ 
ties for exhibition, but cannot afford this 
year’s novelties and cannot spare room for 
varieties that are unlikely to come true, 
I name the following:—Countess Spencer 
(or Paradise), John Ingman (or George 
Herbert), Nora Unwin (or Dorothy Eck¬ 
ford), Mrs. Collier, Mrs. Hardcastle 
Sykes, Frank Dolby, A. J. Cook (or Mrs. 
Walter Wright), Helen Pierce, Helen 
Lewis, Queen Alexandra, Henry Eckford, 
Lord Nelson, Black Knight, and King 
Edward VII. This includes two spare 
varieties, which it is always advisable to 
grow, as an accident may easily destroy 
the stock of a variety. Except for the fact 
that some exhibitors do not care to in¬ 
clude any dark varieties in a collection 
of twelve, I think that most men who 
know the Sweet Pea well will agree that 
those I have named are pretty well the 
best, although some allowance must be 
made for differing tastes. 
Of course, an exhibitor’s chances may 
be materially increased by the inclusion 
of a wise selection of this year’s novelties, 
but much space in this paper has already 
been devoted to this question, so it will 
rot be re-opened here. A last word as 
to buying seed, and that is, to order early, 
as some stocks are very small, and it is 
disappointing to find one of the best varie¬ 
ties sold out. It will be noticed that the 
colours of the varieties recommended have 
not been stated here. This information 
is given in almost every seed catalogue. 
If the soil is in good condition it is not 
too soon now to sow out of doors. The 
first half of March seems to be about the 
favourite time with most growers in the 
southern half of England. In colder and 
wetter districts a week or two later is 
better. 
A week or so before sowing, a dusting 
of superphosphate, of lime may be given, 
at about the rate of one good handful to 
every yard run of row. This is a per¬ 
fectly safe artificial manure, and is used 
rather largely by several trade growers 
who use no other artificials. Mr. Thos. 
Jones and Mr. Mackereth also supply 
special manures for the Sweet Pea, and 
both have been well recommended by 
prominent growers. As a general rule, 
in applying chemical manures care should 
be taken that they do not go on in lumps, 
but are dusted evenly over the surface 
of the soil and are lightly forked in. Ex- 
cent in very special cases, artificial 
manures should not be used in place of 
animal manures, but rather to supplement 
them. A dusting of soot seems to be very 
good. 
In sowing the seeds each one should be 
taken separately and covered with about 
two inches of soil. If the seeds are placed 
two inches apart they can be thinned out 
afterwards if it is found that more su r mve 
February 29, 1908. 
the early stages than are really require 
Seeing that tie Sweet Pea has attain 
to so high a degree of popularity, it 
not to be wondered that the literature < 
the subject is increasing. Those w 
have read previous issues of the “ Swe 
Pea Annual,” the official publication 
the N.S.P.S., will welcome the one f 
1908. Another book for the enthusiast 
Mr. Sydenham’s “All About Sweet Pea; 
revised up to date. An important featu 
of this book is the author’s descriptii 
and opinion of almost every Sweet P 
that has been exhibited. Mr. Chari 
H. Curtis, the secretary of the N.S.P.! 
has also written a book on our flowt 
and it is very well suited indeed to t 
requirements of the novice and the air 
teur, and will interest all. All the 
books can be obtained at a reasonal 
price. G. F. Drayson. 
-- 
A UNIQUE EXHIBIT OF POTAToS. 
On the nth February a very extensi 
exhibit of Potatos was shown by Mess 
Sutton and Sons, Reading, at the Hor 
cultural Hall, Vincent Square, Westm 
ster, London. It consisted of no It 
than 183 distinct varieties put up in t 
hibition form, while 118 kinds we 
shown as seed of planting size. The e- 
hibit occupied a space 70 ft. long, 3 
wide, and 3 ft. high, for some of the < 
hibits were put in tiers one above t 
other. Besides the ordinary Potatos 
commerce, they had a large number 
the wild species of Potato, together wi 
hybrids raised from them. These w 
ones included Solanum tuberosum, 
Commersonii, S. polvadenium, S. Mag. 
and S. etuberosum. Interesting were t- 
numerous seedlings .or hybrids raised fro 
these. The exhibitors have been maki; 
trials of them for many years past w: 
the object of proving what was_really t' 
wild'original form of the Potato. WhetL 
this can ever be possible remains to : 
seen, but the seedlings raised from 
etuberosum showed such a variety of c- 
ours as we might expect to find in tf 
which was the origin of the cultivated I- 
tato. On the other hand, S. tuberose 
which usually gets the credit of being t' 
parent did not at all seem likely in th 
respect, judging from tubers raised fro 
seed of the Mexican wild form. I' 
have not yet heard the last of the Poto 
and its origin, so that something still ■ 
mains to be discovered concerning f 
most popular and most widely cultivatl 
of all vegetables. 
-- 
TRADE NOTICE. 
Mr. William Cooper. 
The annual clearance sale of Mr. W 
liam Cooper, 751, Old Kent Road, Lo 
don, S.E., is now proceeding. The It 
on our table shows greenhouses, fran- 
and an immense variety of garden app 
■ances. Besides these, he also suppL 
furniture, and some of these usel 
articles in the household are illustrate 
He also caters for fanciers, especia' 
those who go in for the rearing of pouL 
prM the keeping of various pets. Vari( ; 
houses for the convenience of these e 
also illustrated and priced. Rustic w« 
is also freely illustrated. We can t 
here indicate a tithe of the contrivan * 1 
here mentioned, and which are always 1 
requisition about an establishment. 
