February 6, 1909. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
77 
Sweet Pea The King. 
e may describe this at once as a 
,ncer King Edward VII. and no further 
e.mmendation need be required by any- 
l0 ir. More than that, the flowers we 
ordered the brightest we had seen of 
h various Spencer King Edwards being 
r m on trial last year. We were much 
ejhted with the variety on the seed 
aiof Messrs. Dobbie and Co., at Marks 
[' , Essex, in July last. The flowers 
1 1 which our illustration was prepared 
n: not sent us, however, until August 
,t when the season was practically over. 
ae flowers are darker and brighter 
h King Alfonso, another King Edward 
ipcer, being grown last year. The 
year. The only thing we have to record 
against it is that the flowers are liable 
to get slightly scorched under the influ¬ 
ence of bright sunshine when fully ex¬ 
posed. They are not so bad, however, 
in this respect as many other choice 
varieties in cultivation. 
We also had flowers of Dobbie’s Mid 
Blue, which had an Award of Merit from 
the R.H.S. last year. The standards are 
very large, rounded at the top, slightly 
waved and of a deep purple-blue. The 
wings, are, on the contrary', bright blue 
and much more of that decided tint which 
we look for in a blue Sweet Pea. The 
flowers are slightly wavy, but all parts are 
Sweet Pea The King. Maclaren and Sons. 
ers of The King are of remarkable 
, we should say amongst the largest 
:ultivation. The standards are only 
? n. across and under sunshine may be 
I':ribed as brilliant crimson, but when 
under artificial light they are an 
ally brilliant scarlet. As will be seen 
fra our photograph the wings were in 
portion to the standards and of a rich 
ci ison-carmine, or as some would de- 
be them deepest rose-cardinal. On 
tl whole, it is a bold and handsome 
fl 'er, which had no difficulty in getting 
acAward of Merit from the R.H.S. last 
well expanded and, therefore, very effec¬ 
tive whether for garden or home decora¬ 
tion. Many of the stems carry four 
flowers. It also had a First-class Certifi¬ 
cate from the Fran co-British Exhibition. 
This constitutes the third novelty of their 
own raising which Messrs. Dobbie are 
sending out now. 
-- 
THE annual general meeting of the Per¬ 
petual-flowering Carnation Societx will be 
held at the Hotel Windsor, Victoria Street, 
London. S.W., on February 10th, at 
4 p.m. 
A Giant Cactus and Mr. Carnegie. 
By far the largest of the Cactus family 
is that which we have known since 1847 
under the name of Cereus giganteus. 
Mostly everyone was under the impres¬ 
sion that the giant Cereus could be no 
other than as named, but Dr. N. L. 
Britton and Dr. J. N. Rose, of the Bo¬ 
tanical Garden, New York, have discov¬ 
ered that it is not a Cereus at all, but 
sufficiently distinct to make a new genus 
and they have promptly named it Car- 
negia. 
Messrs. Sutton’s Catalogue. 
Amongst the first of the catalogues to 
reach us every year is that of Messrs. 
Sutton and Sons, Reading. So familiar 
has this catalogue become to mostly every¬ 
body that it is almost unnecessary for us 
to say that it is replete with everything 
for the garden, and that the illustrations 
are not only exceedingly numerous, but of 
the very finest to be met with in any cata¬ 
logue. Most of these are now reproduc¬ 
tions from photographs, all beautifully 
executed, and refer to fruits, flowers, vege¬ 
tables, lawns, etc. Everyone who has a 
garden at all worthy of the name should 
get this catalogue. 
-- 
Watercress 
In Cold Frames. 
Of the many products of the garden 
which are available for household con¬ 
sumption during the winter months few are 
more appreciated or of greater benefit to 
the human system than a good supply of 
fresh Watercress. And, this being so, a 
note as to one of the best methods of its 
cultivation may be of sendee to readers 
of the “ G.W.” 
As early in the autumn as may be found 
convenient a good bed should be made up 
with half-rotted leaves and manure in 
about equal proportions, at least a foot 
in thickness and a foot wider each way 
than the frame it is intended to use. Great 
care must be taken to see that the bed is 
made firm, after which, a two-light frame 
is placed thereon. The bed must then be 
covered with a mixture of equal parts of 
loam and leaf-soil to a depth of six 
inches. Aftenvards procure a sufficient 
quantity of cuttings to fill one light. Make 
them about six inches in length, and in¬ 
sert them in the bed at least eight inches 
apart, pressing the soil round each cut¬ 
ting. Keep them close-shaded from bright 
sunshine, and sprinkle with water each 
dav until they begin to take root, which 
will be in about three weeks, when the 
other light should be filled in a similar 
manner. This will, of course, give a suc¬ 
cession. 
In gathering, take from one light at a 
time, as this will give the plants in the 
other one a chance to grow again. Under 
ordinary circumstances one good watering 
each month will be found sufficient. Pro¬ 
tection from frost must always be 
afforded, and every gleam of sunshine 
will be of material benefit. 
With care and proper management, an 
ordinary two-light frame will yield several 
baskets of good, wholesome Cress, which 
will amply repay the labour and trouble 
involved in producing it. 
W. H. W. 
